Alter Ego
by Lola Me
Summary: Ch 12 up! On Sam and Jack’s last mission on the same SG team, a dangerous building collapse thankfully doesn’t leave anyone injured, but some of the members of SG1 start acting strangely in the following days. SJ of course!
1. Chapter 1

**Story title: Alter Ego**

**Plot Summary: The exploration of an abandoned civilization with evidence of hybrid goa'uld technology serves as Sam and Jack's last mission on the same SG team. A dangerous building collapse thankfully doesn't leave anyone injured, but some of the members of SG1 start acting strangely in the following days. S/J of course!**

**Rating: Still don't know what the ratings are… nothing explicit… maybe a bit of language/violence…**

**Disclaimer: Yet again, I am shamelessly borrowing characters that were thought up by other people – geniuses that they are. I hope they don't mind.**

* * *

_A/N: Hello and welcome to one and all. This is a sequel to 'Solid blood of the spirits', although it is going to work as a standalone story as well. Only one thing, it's AU since Sam and Jack are together (read Solid blood to see how it came about). Please read on and hopefully enjoy!_

**Chapter I - Holiday**

* * *

Colonel Samantha Carter waited anxiously in the control room as the digital clock on the computer ticked away soundlessly. He was late. However, this wasn't really anything to worry about; Colonel Jack O'Neill had yet to actually return through the stargate on time. There was no need for concern… yet. 

It was the nagging voice in the back of her head that added the last word. It had been odd enough to see him leave on a mission without her… but this had been made infinitely worse by the 'horror scenarios' that her quick mind had insisted on creating.

She had pleaded with General Hammond, two weeks earlier, for him to allow her to join the mission with the Asgard. Exploring the genetic importance of Fodor – the Asgard ancestor – would have been fascinating. She'd had to admit, however, that medical science wasn't her specific field of expertise. Moreover, she had been completely swamped in the lab recently with various naquada research projects that had been spurred by the discovery of the Ancient cache in Australia. Despite these rationalizations, Sam knew where she'd _wanted_ to be these past few weeks.

Ever since their last mission – where they ended up facing Baal in Australia of all places – she and Jack had become inseparable. Their altered assignments, borne of that mission, finally allowed them to be for one another that which both had longed for. Saying goodbye to the man she loved – even if he was only going to be gone a short while – had proved extremely distressing. She had of course adopted a professional manner at the base; but to those who knew her, it was obvious that her mood had been dampened.

As the date of his return had drawn closer, Sam had felt a mix of excitement and fear well up within her. Each moment brought his return closer – in theory. The fear resulted from the realization that, if something had gone wrong on that mission, the scheduled time of arrival would be when she found out.

Just as her mind ran through the endless 'horror scenarios' she'd thought up for the nth time, Sam heard the two words she had been longing to hear:

"Off-world activation!"

She watched avidly as the wormhole engaged and a familiar loping gait propelled Colonel Jack O'Neill down the gateramp; a grin fixed on his face, his eyes locked with hers through the glass.

There was another reason Sam had been so eagerly awaiting the return of Jack and his team. SG11 had made a discovery that would require both her's and Jonas' expertise… it was only logical that Jack accompany them with Teal'c – it was going to be like the old days.

Jack swaggered off the end of the gate ramp and stopped, his eyes still directed to the control room where Sam stood, General Hammond flanking her.

"Finally!" he said emphatically. "Before I go anywhere near another mission, I _demand_ a holiday."

Jonas snorted at this comment. "Jack, you've just had the better part of 6 months in Australia using your unique affinity with Ancient devices to basically act as a doorman between – and I have this on good authority – spending most of your time fishing in the tidal estuary behind the beach at Minnamurra." He rolled his eyes melodramatically. "In what way was that _not_ a holiday?"

Jack didn't answer. Before leaving the room to bravely face a possible barrage of needles in the infirmary, he winked up towards Sam. She understood his silent answer to Jonas' question – a holiday just wasn't a holiday if they couldn't be together.

* * *

Sam had been shoved away from the infirmary so many times that she'd given up – Jack would have to find her when he was done. For the moment, however, this left her sitting at the bench in her lab, staring at the screensaver on her computer. It was lucky Jack burst through the door when he did – otherwise she may have passed out through the dizzying effects of the spiraling dots. 

Sam only saw the expression on Jack's face briefly before he pounced on her, trapping her in his arms, immersing her in the welcome feel of his body, of his scent. The ferocity of the kiss that followed and the ecstatic, mischievous look on his face told Sam in an instant that their time apart had been difficult for him too. When Jack finally – somewhat reluctantly – pulled away, Sam couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" He protested, pretending to be hurt by her reaction.

"I'm sorry," she hiccoughed in between giggles, "it's just that you looked like you were about to explode with joy when you walked through the door!"

Jack chuckled along with Sam while brushing both his hands through her hair and burying his face in her neck. "What's there not to be joyful about?" He breathed, "I'm here, you're here, and Hammond just told me we're going on holidays… together!"

"Holidays!" Sam pulled back, puzzled. "We're not going holiday – we're going off-world!" She looked at her watch, "The briefing's in ten minutes!"

"With you, Sam," Jack closed the distance between them again, "even a Goa'uld prison cell qualifies as a holiday in my mind." Before Sam could respond, Jack declared the matter closed by again capturing her lips with his.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Sam said impishly before standing, grabbing Jack by the hand, and moving toward the door to go to the said briefing.

* * *

The members of SG1 found themselves in the familiar surrounds of the briefing room. Sam was standing in front of the projector screen while everyone else listened – or, in Jack's case, pretended to listen – to her presentation. 

"This site is unlike any other we've encountered before." She was saying. "While the architecture looks to be goa'uld – we'll need your help there guys," she nodded towards Jonas and Teal'c, "there is also evidence of a civilization we would normally associate with planets left to develop without any goa'uld influence.

"Such as?" Jonas asked, intrigued by the obvious mix of technology.

"Well, for starters there are elements of an electricity network," Sam clicked to the next image, pointing at the relevant sections, "which would indicate that the people of this planet have learned to operate without the benefit of naquada or crystals. But at the same time, the documents found seem to be in some hybrid goa'uld language."

"Colonel O'Neill, is this presentation boring to you?" General Hammond's voice cut through the room like a dagger, abruptly brining Jack out of his reverie.

"No, no, _noooooooo_." Jack tested various inflections and facial expressions as he issued the denial. "I'm just eager to move out, sir – even though I technically only got _in_ a couple of hours ago."

"As am I, General Hammond." Teal'c contributed for the first time to the meeting. "The architecture indeed indicates a goa'uld basis for this abandoned civilization. It is most intriguing."

"Right, well, do you have anything else to add, Colonel Carter?" He looked to Sam respectfully.

"Not really sir," Sam shrugged. "I think we've covered the essentials."

"Alright, you have a go." With his customary shuffling of papers, General Hammond rose to his feet.

"Actually General," Sam interjected hastily, "I wanted to request that we include Captain Hindmarsh on this mission."

Jonas' ears pricked up instantly. "She's arrived?"

"Yes, nearly a week ago now." Sam smiled at the now near jubilant Kelownan. "The naquada retrieval mission finished up and as per our agreement with the Australian Government, she's transferred here as a liaison."

Jonas was preparing to speak again but Sam held her hand up, indicating that it could wait until another time. Instead, she turned her head back to look at the General, who seemed to be hesitating.

"If anything sir," Sam pressed on, "this is by definition a routine mission. Scientific and archeological phenomena to examine in our search for technology and information with which to defeat the Goa'uld." She held her breath, waiting for the response.

"Colonel?" General Hammond turned toward Jack, eager to hear his opinion.

"Yeah, sure." Jack shrugged after a short contemplation. "She was very impressive in Australia – this way we can make a final assessment before you assign her to an SG team, sir."

General Hammond nodded with approval as he again made an attempt to end the meeting. "Departure at 0800." His voice clipped. "Dismissed!"

* * *

For the first time in many weeks, Sam woke up the next morning with an unmistakable buzz of excitement coursing through her body. After waiting somewhat impatiently, she was going to finally have the opportunity to properly examine the ruins found by SG11. It occurred to her as she lay in bed, her eyes still closed, that something else was contributing to her excitement. A pleasantly dexterous hand was feathering the bare skin of her arm and torso with tender care. As the soft touch of this hand's fingers reached her ribcage, she couldn't contain a small gasp, opening her eyes to see Jack's head, propped up against the pillow next to her, studying her as if he needed to remember every physical feature of her body for an exam. 

"G'mornin' sleepyhead." He smiled at her, continuing to caress her soft skin, feeling her shiver under his touch.

"Hmmm." Sam murmured lazily in response. "How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"Let's just say I could probably draw a brilliant likeness of you," he paused to kiss her passionately, "And I'm a _horrible_ artist."

Sam merely made an amused sound in response to this comment, and sat up slowly, her eyes blurrily looking to the clock next to the bed. It read almost 6.30am – they were going to be late unless they started moving.

"We're due on base in just over an hour," she said, her voice becoming rushed as she was suddenly infused with energy, throwing the bedcovers aside as she got to her feet.

Jack, for his part didn't move. He merely stretched his long limbs over the warm mattress where Sam had been laying and kept studying her face with the same loving intensity as before. "What's the rush?" His voice perfectly reflected his relaxed position. "It's no more than a ten minute drive from here."

"I know," Sam's voice filtered in from the ensuite bathroom as she got into the shower. Jack heard the sound of running water before her voice again echoed into the bedroom. "But it's Stacey's first off-world mission and I'd like to have a final briefing with her before we go."

Jack hauled himself out of the bed slowly, feeling his aged bones creaking as he did so. He shuffled into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bathtub while Sam was still in the shower. "Why were you so intent on her coming along on this mission?" He asked conversationally. "I mean, I know she's a good soldier, but it's hardly imperative is it?"

Sam sighed as she washed the conditioner out of her hair, knowing that since the time of their adventure in Australia, she and Jack had both been ignoring a certain hint of reality. Feeling the last silky remains of the perfumed substance leaving her now soft hair, she turned the shower off and stepped out, reaching for a towel and wrapping it around herself. Jack was sitting patiently on the side of the tub, and she sat down next to him.

"Well, according to our agreement with the Australian government, Captain Hindmarsh is to be placed on an SG team." Sam paused for a second to see if Jack had realized where she was going. He was merely nodding, though, obviously not getting the gist. "Jack," she placed her still damp and warm hand over his. "I can't stay in SG1. The arrangement we've had recently was working well. I mean, I was in charge while you were in Australia, and then the Asgard mission really didn't require my presence – and I had so much labwork to do…" she trailed off, seeing his head dip slightly as the neurons connected.

"You want her as your replacement." Jack said quietly. "That's why you want her on this mission – to assess her suitability."

Sam didn't say anything, but instead leant over, lifting Jack's chin slightly with her hand and kissing him softly on the lips. "You know we can't be together if we're on the same team," she whispered into his ear. "As it is, we're flirting with an extremely fine line of definition – we may both have the same rank but you're still technically 2IC of the base. If it weren't for General Hammond's efforts, we'd be in the same situation as before."

"Yeah I know." Jack said, with a curt nod, straightening himself and getting up. "I guess we'd better get into the base and on this mission then." He shooed Sam out of the bathroom before turning around and getting into the shower himself.

* * *

Jack, Teal'c and Jonas waited impatiently in the gateroom as their scheduled departure time came and went. Jack looked at his watch again and adjusted his sunglasses – not that they were at all necessary while still in Cheyenne Mountain. 

"It is unlike Colonel Carter to be delayed for departure." Teal'c noted unemotionally.

"Ah, you don't know Earth women like I do, T." Jack grinned slightly as he spoke. "_This_ is why I've never agreed to more than one female member on an SG team at a time – they suddenly start running _late_ for things."

"That wouldn't be a sexist remark, would it Colonel?" A familiar drawling accent caused Jack to jump and turn around in embarrassment. Standing behind him, her hands on her hips, with a particularly dangerous expression on her face, was Captain Stacey Hindmarsh. Behind her again, was Sam, who was beaming with amusement, and eyebrow raised, Teal'c style, as she waited for what was sure to be a flustered response from Jack.

"Captain Hindmarsh!" Jack exclaimed, choosing for the moment to forget the last 30 seconds. "Good to have you with us – Carter and Jonas tell me it's going to be an _exhilarating_ mission." He winked at her quickly. "By that, I mean we'll spend most of our time doing nothing while they make 'ooh' and 'aah' noises at strangely shaped things."

Stacey smiled back at her new CO and saluted crisply. "It's an honour to be able to serve with you sir." She said genuinely. "I'm really excited to be stepping through the gate after hearing so much about it."

"Well good!" Jack nodded slightly before casting his eye up to the control room above them. "Let's get this show on the road then!"

While the stargate activated he and the others moved back, in anticipation of the opening wormhole. He found himself standing next to Carter and elbowed her playfully to get her attention. "That's the second time that my first meeting with a female colleague has involved allusions to sexism on my part." He nodded towards Stacey as he spoke. "It's gotta be a sign. She's going to do just fine."

Sam simply rolled her eyes and looked at the man she loved. "Yes sir." She said patiently, before moving towards the now open wormhole and stepping through.

* * *

_A/N: Ok, I realize that I haven't got the proper plot yet, but I promise it's coming in the next chapter. As I said before, this is a sequel to 'Solid blood of the spirits'. I tried to explain most of the relevant back story in this chap but it might be an idea to look at the original anyway, if you have the time!_

_Most of all however, please send me your reviews! They're what I live for!_


	2. On shaky ground

_A/N: Ok I know it's been a long time between posts, but how's this for an explanation: when I last posted, I was in London. Two days later I took the train to Paris, three days after that I flew the 20,000km (12,000ish miles) back to Australia, spent three days in Sydney before flying to Melbourne for two days, and then driving 500 miles in one day to Canberra. I ain't had much time for posting in all that time!_

_I__'m still not through the worst of it – am currently looking for somewhere to live. It's so tiring going and looking at places and meeting prospective housemates/flatmates. It's crazy._

_But enough of all that! I'm so glad I got the chance to get this chapter out and I hope you like it! Thanks for all the reviews, I hope you keep with it and I hope that others reading can take the time to give me some feedback… please?_

* * *

**Chapter 2 – On shaky ground **

* * *

Jonas and Sam were bouncing happily along the rough path that still existed through the rainforest near the stargate. Teal'c had a more purposefully-minded gait as his well honed instincts worked overtime to ensure their safety. 

Stacey was looking even more tense than Teal'c. Being her first off-world mission, the training within her had gone into overdrive and she was in a state of high alert. She could see Jonas glance back at her and smile once in a while, but smiling back was beyond her. The paralyzing tension meant that although she was very switched on in her duties, her normal personality had all-but diappeared. She didn't react as Jack spoke to her; she'd perceived him next to her. What he said, however, did manage to shake her out of this hyper-vigilancy.

"Y'know, Captain," Jack said amicably, as if they were merely taking a stroll in the proverbial park. "I know we're on a different planet and all that, but I think it's ok to relax." He smiled at the puzzled look on her face. "Look around you!" He exclaimed. "Trees! It's always trees! No matter how far we go we always find 'em, so really no need to act like you've just entered the twilight zone…"

Sam and Jonas had slowed down to listen to the familiar rant out the flora of every planet they visit. "Don't worry about him," Sam rolled her eyes, winking at Jonas as she spoke to the new team member. "He's got a worrying infatuation with foliage."

"Colonel O'Neill's right though," Jonas added. "Sure, we've gotta stay alert – but that doesn't mean we can't have a conversation."

"Besides," Jack piped up, not realizing that Stacey's eyes and attention were locked on Jonas, "We've got Teal'c – he's almost beyond alert." He nodded to the Jaffa, who had stopped walking but was still surveying their surroundings intensely.

Stacey didn't really hear what Jack said though, and was now smiling warmly at Jonas as she moved forward to walk next to him as they all moved forward again. "So, _alert but not alarmed_, eh?" She was grinning impishly, but realized that no-one understood her reference.

"Sorry – Australian joke," she explained. "The government's anti-terrorist campaign consisted in part of a national mail-out of fridge magnets with tips and useful phone numbers to call in case of any suspicious activity. The heading for this magnet – and the government's slogan – is 'be alert, but not alarmed'…"

"A _fridge magnet_!" Jack's voice piped up from behind, sounding mildly amused.

"Yeah I know," Stacey chuckled. "Some protection, eh? A bloody _cushion _would be more use – you could at least _smother _someone with it…" She rolled her eyes ironically and Jack realized with delight how much he was going to appreciate the Aussie sense of humour.

* * *

"Carter it's starting to get dark out and my ass has gone numb!" Jack's voice bellowed into the alien building he, Teal'c and Stacey were patrolling. 

They'd been there nearly seven hours and, as far as he could tell, had found nothing earth-shatteringly interesting. Sure, every now and then he heard small exclamations from inside the building – ranging from grunts of exasperation to the more pleasant 'oohs' and 'aahs' of delight – but then Jonas was known for getting excited about pretty much everything and Sam's passion for all things weird and obscure was ever so slightly above the average.

"We're almost done sir!" Sam's voice echoed out to Jack's ears.

"Well, get a leg on!" He hollered back, standing up to stretch his legs and hopefully reinvigorate the blood flow to his rear end.

"How is Colonel Carter expected to acquire an extra limb?" Teal'c seemed genuinely perplexed – he had stopped pacing and was now standing still with an expression of alarmed curiosity.

Nevertheless, Jack hesitated before answering – he was starting to suspect that the Jaffa had recently taken to asking these kinds of questions just to see the reactions of others. During this moment of reflection, Jack heard Stacey explode with laughter, doubling over as her mouth widened into a huge grin. Whether Teal'c was doing it on purpose or not, he sure got a fantastic reaction.

"It's just an expression!" Stacey gasped, finally composing herself. She looked quickly at Jack: "I can't believe you know it too sir. It just means that the Colonel wants Colonel Carter to hurry up." She added, quickly, looking back at Teal'c.

Teal'c reflected upon this information for a moment before speaking. "I see." He said soberly. "The notion that Colonel Carter should acquire an extra leg would infer that with said limb, she would progress at a greater speed."

Now it was Jack's turn to be genuinely amused. "You make it sound like she's actually going to come scurrying outta there _with _the said extra leg," he said with a wink, catching Stacey's eye as she was again overcome with laughter. "In order to find out, however," he began to say, before raising the volume of his voice so Sam could her, "WE NEED TO WAIT FOR CARTER AND JONAS TO ACTUALLY COME OUT HERE!"

His cheeky words were met with predictable contempt from both parties inside the structure, however they words were drowned out by a much more alarming sound – a sound accompanied by a general shaking of the ground all around them.

* * *

Sam felt her head slowly clear as she returned to consciousness from the fog of noise and confusion that had submerged her into oblivion. She had no idea how or even what it was that had happened. One minute, she and Jonas had been working furiously – so they could get out of there before Jack positively self-combusted – and the next, just as they were shouting that they were on their way out, all hell had broken loose. 

As she lay there with her eyes closed it occurred to her that perhaps all the shouting had enfeebled the structure, causing a collapse. But then, she had felt a strange shaking of the earth at the same time. Strange, because none of the telemetry readings from the MALP had indicated seismic activity. Still, anything was possible.

Sam had kept her eyes closed as she could sense a layer of fine – or maybe even thick – dust covering her and she didn't much like the idea of spending the next three days trying to wash stuff out of her eyes. As she became more alert, however, she slowly sat up and prepared to try and open her eyes, head bowed down to avoid any particles entering.

"S-sam?" she heard Jonas wheeze nearby, coughing with all the dust.

"Yeah." She rasped back, shocked by the hoarseness of her voice. "Careful before you open your..."

"Ahhh!" Jonas hadn't waited to hear Sam's warning and has opened his eyes, inviting a dustmite's paradise to request entry through his eyelids.

"-eyes." Sam sighed, completing her sentence. She had now managed to open hers, and was cautiously looking around the room. It was nothing like what they had come to all those hours beforehand. At the beginning of their day, the walls had been made of a smooth stone – much like sandstone – of a light blond colour. Embedded in the walls had been numerous ports of technology that appeared to be akin in technology to computers in the late 1980s on Earth. Interspersed with this dated technology had been crystal sections and finally what appeared to be a main console in the centre of the back wall that was clearly of goa'uld origin.

Sam and Jonas had passed their time cataloguing and exploring the various aspects of the room and building. Jonas had taken numerous pictures of the structure before moving to decipher the language, which was indeed a dialect or hybrid-dialect of a goa'uld language. Sam had explored with fascination the complicated duality of the goa'uld-native technology that covered the room. She hadn't even began exploring the content of the data nor the true purpose of the room before the collapse; so interesting was the way in which the native civilization had managed to set up a permanent interface with vastly superior goa'uld technology.

Now, however, the room looked nothing like it had before. It wasn't just a case of damage incurred by whatever had happened, whether it be earthquake or otheriwise. As Sam looked around she realized that something much more sophisticated had happened. All the native consoles that had lined the now fractured walls seemed to have receded and spontaneously covered themselves with a protective shield. The goa'uld technology, however, remained unchanged. The consoles hadn't moved even where the wall apparently supporting them had collapsed. They remained in place.

"Wow, how the hell do they _do _that?" Jonas had spotted the main goa'uld console – that appeared to be floating mid-air – and was looking at it in complete puzzlement.

Before Sam could shrug her shoulders and express her similar bewilderment, a loud pounding sound sounded behind her and she realized that the entrance to their location had been blocked off by the collapse. The others were obviously trying to get in touch with them. She looked quickly to her radio, assuming that it wasn't working, and was astounded to find that in fact it should be functioning properly.

She quickly raised it to her mouth, rolling her eyes inwardly. "Colonel O'Neill? This is Colonel Carter, d'you read?" The pounding that had been causing a worrying cascade of dust from the fractured walls suddenly stopped as Jack obviously realized that in fact man had conquered the art of remote communications.

"Carter!" His voice barked loudly out of the radio, causing Sam to abruptly pull it away from her face. "Are you alright? Are you both alright?"

"Yes sir, we're fine." Sam said rather distractedly, already trying to plan her escape. "Did you forget about the existence of radios?" She asked quite impishly, but issuing a warning to him at the same time. His unabashed concern for her safety merely demonstrated why they would not be able to serve on the same team in the future. "You could have cause another collapse with all that pounding." She felt him go silent on the other end of the line and felt bad for admonishing him. "D'you have any idea what happened?" She decided to move on.

There was another short pause. "Ummm… earthquake?" Jack suggested timidly, as if Sam's lack of perceptiveness was a concern.

"Hmm…" Sam was thinking out loud. "Yeah I guess…" she said slowly, "there's still something _odd_ though."

"Carter, who _cares_!" Jack's voice seemed to be verging on a squeal as it came through the radio. "Let's just get you _outta_ there before it happens again!"

Sam stifled a tickle in her throat before responding and looked over to Jonas, who was grinning somewhat infuriatingly, obviously finding the exchange quite amusing. At the same time, however, his eyes kept flicking up to the corner of the room behind Sam, and she soon saw why. During the collapse, part of the ceiling had given way leaving a small patch of sunlight to freely filter through into the room. The final, orange rays of the setting sun illuminated a patch of wall next to the opening and both Sam and Jonas simultaneously rose to their feet to approach.

"I think we can do that, sir," Sam said, squinting upwards. "Standby."

"I'll lift you up and then you and the other Colonel can help me from the other end." Jonas said, nodding to the ceiling.

"Ok, Sam said, putting her radio back into her vest and preparing herself for the climb. "But pass me our equipment first – otherwise this whole trip will have been a waste. You documented pretty much everything you needed, right?"

"Yep." Jonas grunted as he helped Sam by lifting her legs as she deftly climbed up to the hole in the corner of the ceiling.

As Sam steadied herself on top of the building she felt the tickle in her throat return and launched into a coughing attack that last almost 20 seconds. If nothing else, the sound alerted the others as to her position and as soon as she had regained her breath, she saw Stacey, Teal'c and Jack moving quickly around the building and climbing it themselves to help.

Stacey had moved upwards first and reached Sam quickly. "You ok?" She said, concern in her eyes.

"Fine." Sam nodded, her eyes watering slightly. "Sir, stay where you are." She raised her voice to speak to Jack, who was on the point of climbing up himself. "There's not a lot of room up here and I'm not sure of the structure's integrity. We can manage."

Jack didn't seem to appreciate the suggestion, but remained where he was, not wavering his regard from the two women perched up above him.

Within minutes, Jonas had passed their equipment out through the opening and, with the help of Sam and Stacey, had successfully hoisted himself onto the roof and slid down the wall to the ground with the others. Sam and Stacey joined him seconds later and they all stood around, dustier and more weary than they had expected to be at the end of the day.

Jack looked at the bedraggled state of his coworkers and made a snap decision. "Ok troops – back to the gate."

"What? Why?" Sam, Jonas, and Stacey all protested to this decision vociferously.

"Because you look like you're survivors from a building collapse and I want the Doc to check you both out!" He fired back at them. "This isn't negotiable – it's an order."

Grumbling slightly, the three would-be dissidents nodded in concession and turned to pack their things before taking to the path leading back to the stargate. Jonas and Stacey set out first, walking side by side. Jack and Sam followed behind them and Teal'c patrolled all four of those with him from behind.

Every now and then Jonas would cough from the dust inhalation causing Stacey to place a hand on his arm in concern. He merely glanced at her and smiled reassuringly each time. "Nothing a good shower won't fix." He'd say hoarsely.

Jack noticed this and realized that Sam was also coughing a fair amount. He didn't make anything of it though – knowing how Sam prided herself in her good health and capability to recover from even the most dire injuries. In any case, the Doc would spot anything that was wrong with them instantly. He was sure Jonas was right.

* * *

General Hammond had interrupted a particularly unappetizing snack – brought to him from the Mess hall – to race into the control room as soon as the all-too familiar sirens had sounded. 

"Receiving an IDC sir." The relief technician announced mechanically. "It's SG1."

"Open the iris." General Hammond said with surprise before precipitating down into the gateroom.

He arrived just as all five members of the temporarily expanded team stepped out of the wormhole and onto the ramp. He was shocked by the appearance of Sam and Jonas, and didn't hesitate before instructing an airman to call the Doctor to the room.

"General." Jack addressed a lazy salute to his superior. "We encountered a small instance of earthquake-induced building collapse. Apologies to the cleaners for all the dust…" he added with a sparkle to his eye as he noted the small film that was covering the area Sam and Jonas walked over.

"Colonel Carter, Jonas, are you both alright?" General Hammond looked at them with concern.

"Fine General." Jonas responded with a slight cough. "We just inhaled quite a bit of dust." He wiped a sweaty hand over his forehead, thus removing a thick layer of the said dust.

"The structure of interest collapsed, but not before we gathered most of the information and photographically catalogued everything of interest." Sam added, ignoring the persistent tickle in her throat. "So it wasn't at all a waste – I'm not even convinced we needed to come back, there was no harm done in the collapse."

"Nevertheless Colonel," General Hammond smiled at Sam's dogged determination to do the best work possible. "I think Jack had the right idea bringing you back safely – and you can analyse your finding from here."

"Yes sir." Both Sam and Jonas responded with about as much enthusiasm as a wet cloth.

At that moment Janet appeared at the door and, taking in the disheveled state of the two members of SG1 in question, ushered them instantly into the hallway towards the infirmary.

* * *

A couple of hours later Sam was sitting in her lab, intently studying the images before her on the computer screen. She sighed again with frustration. Janet, although unable to find anything _wrong_ with either her or Jonas, had ordered that they remain on base overnight in case anything untoward should happen. Usually this wouldn't have bothered her. Indeed, until a couple of months ago it wouldn't have made any difference to her normal activities. _Now_, however, she had much better things to do _off_-base; and the persons he wished to do these things with walked through the door just as she slammed her hands on the bench in annoyance. 

"Hey, I know computers are evil," Jack moved up behind her and draped his arms over her shoulders, resting his head on her shoulder so he was also looking at the computer. "But if you're going to take it out on the technology, you have to actually slap the _computer_, and not the desk next to it."

"I just wanna go home." Sam whined quietly, glad that he was there and relishing in the feel of her contact with him. "I mean, Jonas still kinda lives here so staying on base is ok for him – and anyway, Stacey's doting on him as if he were an invalid."

"Yeah, that might be the only problem with this whole Stacey as part of SG1 thing." Jack smiled. "Far be it from me to deny them the chance to start something though…" He grinned before planting a soft kiss on Sam's neck.

"But the point is that he's got no problem with being confined to the base. He's even already gone to bed!" Sam waved her arms around wildly, only to be completely contradicted by the image of Jonas marching purposefully through the door into her lab.

"Jonas!" Both Sam and Jack exclaimed with some surprise, moving instinctively away from each other to strike a more professional pose.

Jonas didn't seem to see them, however. Instead, he moved purposefully into the room and started manipulating some of the equipment lined up against the far wall.

"Jonas, what are you doing?" Sam had got up and was moving towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled it away abruptly. The strangest sensation moved through her fingertips and up her arm – almost as if he was _buzzing_.

Jonas didn't answer, but kept doing what he was doing. Sam and Jack, with a considerable combined effort, pulled him away from the console. He struggled for a moment before collapsing to the ground, out cold.

Jack ran to the phone on the wall and called for medical assistance while Sam crouched over the unconscious man, shaking him slightly, trying to bring him back to the waking world. Before Janet or anyone else arrived, Jonas' eyes fluttered open and he sat up, looking wildly around him in confusion.

"What the hell happened?" he asked with a croaky voice before coughing heavily.

"You got a history of sleep-walking Jonas?" Jack asked quietly, crouching down next to him.

"Ah, sir?" Sam interrupted. In the moments they had been waiting she had cast her eye up to the machine Jonas had been working with in his catatonic state. "Look at this – he tried to override the security functions that close off the base in a lock-down situation. How did you even _know_ how do to that?" She looked at Jonas, puzzled. There were very few people on the base who could do it – especially from the remote location of Sam's lab – and Jonas was _not _one of them.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: WELL. I hope this has piqued your interest. As usual, it all seems really obvious to me what's happening (considering I came up with the plot) but I hope I'm writing this in such a way that you're interested, but you still haven't figured it all out._

_Most of all, I hope you're interested. PLEASE review! I promise I'll try to update faster WHEN you do! Actually, I've written the next chap... but I REFUSE to post it until I've got some wonderful bits of feedback! So please?_


	3. Nightwalkers

_A/N: Well I'm writing this even before I see any feedback from the last chapter. So basically I hope you've all replied to the last one (there's still time to press back and do it before going any further…). Actually, I more hope you _liked_ the last one!_

_Ah I lied, I have now read some reviews... glad you like Stacey's sense of humour and I'm glad Jonas is getting some sympathy... it's always hard writing a fic without the beloved Daniel (but as he's ascended he may appear...). Thank you so much for reviewing, and please keep it up! I love writing so much I can hardly wait to get the next chap out, but it really helps me along if I know people are reading!_

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Nightwalkers**

* * *

Yet again finding themselves in the infirmary, the various members of SG1 were waiting impatiently amongst all the different beds looking at each other. Jonas was lying in the middle of them with Stacey hovering anxiously next to him, her eyes moving constantly to the monitors next to him showing his healthy life-signs. Jack and Sam were both perched on a bed to the left, glancing at each other occasionally as they waited for Janet to come back. Teal'c, as usual, was standing stoically at the end of the bed, watching over everyone else. 

"I'm really fine." Jonas was protesting to Stacey's worried glances. "I must have been sleep-walking – I mean, I haven't had a rest for quite a while so it's probably just exhaustion!"

"As rare as this may be," Janet had walked into the room and instantly got the attention of everyone present. "I think Jonas is right." She moved to his bedside, and lay her hands flat next to him. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you as far as I can tell – apart from the little cough, but that's nothing to worry about."

Jonas pushed himself up off the bed. "So can I go now?" He was already pulling the covers away and making to move off when Janet lightly but firmly pushed him back down.

"I think given your actions whilst asleep, it may be best if you spent the night here." She raised her hand up to the sudden outburst of protest from Jonas and the others. "My decision is final, and I'll remind you all that I out-rank everyone on this base when it comes to medical matters. He's staying here tonight."

"What about Sam?" Jonas protested like a petulant child.

"What about her?" Jack said instantly, puzzled.

"Well, she was in the room too, maybe whatever's affecting me will affect her as well!" He exclaimed.

"Jonas Quinn, nocturnal ambulations has not been identified as an adverse effect resulting from exposure to a collapsed building." Teal'c said evenly. "I do not believe Colonel Carter is in danger of replicating your puzzling actions."

Janet had to suppress a giggle as she effectively agreed with Teal'c. "Sorry Jonas, I'd have to agree with Teal'c. But," she looked sharply at Sam, "you are _definitely_ not to leave the base tonight, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Sam gave a mocking salute before they all dispersed.

* * *

Walking towards her temporary quarters, Sam couldn't help but mull over what had just happened in her lab. Jack was walking quietly next to her – he had learnt years ago to recognize when she was working something out in her mind and knew to leave her be. She would be ready to work it out with him soon enough. 

"It's just _so_ weird." Sam said, as if she were continuing a verbal conversation.

"Huh?" Jack said quietly as they reached their destination and moved inside to sit down next to each other on the bed.

"Jonas…" Sam sighed, rubbing her hand against her eyes, trying to focus her attention. "I mean, sleep-walking is one thing, but what he _did_ while sleep-walking is so ridiculously unlikely…"

"Maybe he's learnt from you?" Jack said hopefully, rubbing Sam's back, his hand moving in small circles as he tried to relax her weary muscles. "I mean, the guy can learn anything if he's just read a book once… what's to stop him from learning all that computer stuff just from watching you?"

Sam arched her back and stretched her neck muscles as Jack's magical hand managed to slowly bring her ever-whirring mind under control. "Yeah I guess." She conceded. "It's just so _weird_ – why on Earth would he want to do _that _while asleep?"

"Hey, you're the one who insisted he join the team." O'Neill shrugged. "I personally thought we'd filled our alien quota." Seeing the look on Sam's face, Jack quickly backtracked. "You were right I know! He's proved completely indispensable and I don't wanna lose him! I'm just saying, he's an alien – and therefore we've gotta expect these kinda weird things."

"Hmmm… I guess you're right." Sam suddenly felt completely exhausted and let Jack slowly ease her down onto the bed. She drifted slowly off to sleep as he quietly slipped off her boots, clinging to the waking world to ask just one thing of him. "Stay with me? If I have to be here overnight, it'd be much nicer with you as well."

"Shhh, of course Sammie." Jack whispered into her ear as he took his own boots off and settled on the bed next to her. They both went to sleep, lying sideways, his arms wrapped around hers, contented to pretend that they were at home, and not at the SGC.

* * *

The next day Sam awoke to a strange and frightening sensation. She snapped her eyes open and looked to the clock on the bedside table to see it was barely even daytime – only 5.50am. The sensation that had no doubt woken her so early was something she was so un-used to she sat upright immediately, the sudden action not helping any. 

Jack felt the movement and stirred from his deep sleep. Once his hearing became sharper, he realized something was very wrong. Sam had sat up next to him, but was wheezing heavily. He opened his eyes swiftly and sat up next to her, placing a hand on her arm which was white-hot.

"Jack!" Sam whispered, unable to get her voice to work properly. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I can't breathe properly-" she had to stop speaking as an all-encompassing rasping cough took over her entire body, leaving her even more breathless than before. "I'm not asthmatic… I don't know what this is." She tried to rationalize weakly as Jack scooped her into his arms and burst through the door into the corridor, racing towards the infirmary at top speed.

He burst through the door, shouting for whoever was on duty to come and help, only to find that Jonas seemed to be suffering from exactly the same malady as Sam. He was lying weakly on the gurney, covered in sweat, wheezing audibly. Someone had obviously called Janet in to see to him as she was bustling around issuing various orders to the nurses present.

At Jack's arrival, she whirled around on the spot and instantly understood what must have happened. "Put her down on the bed next to Jonas." She said, pulling out her thermometer, stethoscope and various other paraphernalia. "Sir, you're going to have to get out of the way if I'm going to have any chance of helping her." She protested as Jack placed Sam on the bed but refused to move away. He finally bowed in acquiescence and moved a couple of feet back to look on anxiously.

Despite the fervent desire, Jack managed to hold his tongue while Janet quickly checked Sam's symptoms and barked another couple of orders to the nurses. One of them placed oxygen masks on both the patients before attaching IV lines. He didn't understand any of this activity, and so was still gripped in the silent panic that had greeted him upon waking up a few moments earlier. After what seemed like an eternity, both Sam and Jonas calmed down and Janet finally turned to Jack.

"They're comfortable now sir," she said, trying to calm him down. "I won't be sure until I've done some tests, but they both present symptoms consistent with bronchitis. The strangest thing is that they've manifested at exactly the same time."

"Could it be something to do with what happened off-world yesterday?" he asked quietly, glancing over to Sam's exhausted body; she was again asleep.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Janet nodded approvingly. "since they were the only two to go into the structure, it's probable they were exposed to some form of viral or bacterial agent. I'm going to start them on anti-biotics immediately, but if it's viral they won't have any effect – only bedrest will help."

"But you made them better just then!" Jack motioned to both patients who were peacefully asleep.

"All I did was apply some medicine that could have been administered in the home." Janet shrugged. "I gave them oxygen and ventolin to help their breathing, and an anti-pyretic analgesic combination through the IV to bring down the fever." She slowly turned away to do a final check of her patients and moved to the edge of the room, sitting down on a chair to grab the cup of coffee one of the nurses had kindly brought for her. "You should get some sleep sir," she said as Jack hovered over Sam. "They'll probably sleep for a while yet."

* * *

General Hammond waited patiently as an obviously under-the-weather Colonel Carter tried to convince him to let them return off-world to look for more evidence of the disappeared civilization. 

"Colonel," he said patiently as Sam finally drew a breath in her impassioned recitation. "Dr Fraser tells me that in all likelihood you and Jonas contracted this virus or whatever it is _on_ that planet. Furthermore, you are clearly not well at this time and I highly doubt that you would be cleared for off-world travel." He cut Sam off as she prepared to protest. "I'm sorry but that's my final word." He said firmly. "Until Dr Fraser believes you are well enough to return you are stood down on sick leave. _And_, until we can be sure that your illness is nothing serious, no-one will return to the planet."

"Yes sir," Sam sighed and sank back into the chair, realizing how exhausted she was. "Can I at least go home?" She asked meekly, surprising herself even with the request. She didn't know why, but she had an almost uncontrollable desire to leave the base.

"That will be up to the good doctor, I'm afraid." The General replied warmly. "As long as there is someone to watch over you while you're off-base, I can't see that there would be a problem."

"If Colonel Carter is ok with it, I'd like to volunteer for that particular mission, sir." Jack had opened the door to the General's office without knocking, knowing already that Sam was inside.

General Hammond smiled, rolling his eyes knowingly. "As I said to Colonel Carter, Jack, that's not up to me – you'll have to put your case in the infirmary."

* * *

"Well, I'm not entirely sure that I want you off-base, Sam." Janet had listened patiently to Jack and Sam's combined efforts to sway her into letting one of her patients leave. "By all rights you _shouldn't _be sick." She sat down on the chair next to her desk to look again at all the tests. "As far as I can tell, this is the most benign of bronchial diseases – so benign, that with your naquada-fortified immune system you shouldn't be affected _at all_." 

"C'mon Doc," Jack opened his eyes wide and raised his eyebrows, trying to look as adorable as possible. "She's not _Wonder Woman_! For once Sam is actually _willing_ to take a break from the SGC – why on _earth_ should we stop her?"

"Hey! I'm not completely useless!" Sam retorted, trying not to cough for the umpteenth time that hour. "It's just that, well, if I'm not going to be allowed back off-world, I'd prefer to get outta here!"

"Fine, _fine_." Janet closed her eyes and threw her head back in defeat. "But only on the condition that Colonel O'Neill doesn't let you out of his sight."

"No problem doc," Jack winked at her playfully. "I'll keep her well and truly _in_ my sights."

"But she needs _rest_!" Janet warned dangerously. "Anyways, you don't want to get sick as well do you sir? You saw how many needles I had to put into poor Sam this morning for all those tests…"

The mention of needles managed to wipe the cheeky grin off Jack's face and he quickly indicated that he understood; he'd only been joking anyway.

* * *

Jack woke up to find the space in the bed next to him empty. Despite Sam's assertions that she'd be fine – and that he didn't want to get sick anyway – he'd refused to sleep anywhere else other than by her side. He'd noted silently how she'd been grateful for his decision. She had snuggled right up to him to go to sleep, clinging to him even. 

Although he didn't mind – quite on the contrary, he loved the feel of her against him – it unnerved him that she seemed so, well, _afraid_. He tried to rationalize it in his mind: she wasn't used to being sick, or people always went a bit sooky when they were sick. Still, her actions spoke volumes of her state of mind. In his eyes, a worried and scared Sam couldn't mean anything good.

These waves of concern all led him to be downright anxious to awake and find that, in the middle of the night, she had moved and was no longer sleeping next to him on the bed. Maybe she just needed a glass of water, maybe she needed some more of the medicines Janet had sent them home with. But maybe there was something wrong.

Instantly alert, Jack swung his legs off the bed and rose to his feet the moment they touched the carpet.

It didn't take him long to find Sam, she was moving around the house, slowly but with an air of purpose. He watched her for a moment as she ran her fingers along the mantelpiece where he had a collection of old photos. She then reached a window and slowed to examine that as well. He stood there, puzzled, for several minutes. It seemed almost like she was _cataloguing_ everything there. When she came across a piece of technology like the TV or the stereo, she'd stop and fiddle with the controls, turning it on and experimenting with the functions, before turning it off again and continuing on her survey.

"Sam?" He asked tentatively. There was no response. "Whatcha doin?" He moved slowly towards her. She was now looking into the mirror, as if transfixed by the image of herself reflecting in the dim light. She had lifted her left hand and was now fingering her cheek, as if she'd never realized it was there before.

Jack moved cautiously towards her, trying not to startle her. He caught her eye in the mirror and saw something strange there. It was as if she was on the verge of tears, but her facial expression seemed completely calm. There was just the illusion of water welling in her eyelids.

"Sam, come back to bed." He murmured softly as he stopped just inches behind her. He reached an arm out to touch her, to bring her back to him, to bring her back to the bed to get some rest.

It was as if she had been burned. The instant Jack touched her Sam reacted violently and struck her right arm out, pushing him away with such force that he was sent flying across the room, crashing on the coffee table behind him and landing awkwardly up against the sofa.

He looked up to Sam, more in shock than anything else as he cradled the bruised arm that had landed awkwardly under the full weight of his body. Upon doing so, he noticed the strange tingling sensation on his fingertips where he'd touched her. Looking up to Sam with incomprehension, he saw an expression on her face that was if nothing else completely puzzling. She looked as if she loathed him. This wasn't a case of being pissed off, or angry, or even of hating him for doing something. She was looking at him as if he were a pile of cow dung that smelt particularly horrible.

Jack sat there gaping at her for a couple of moments, trying not to jump to any conclusions when, abruptly, all the colour seemed to drain from her face. The life in her seemed to dissipate before his eyes as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: Ok I've already written the first bit of the next chapter. I'll try to make it a speedy update for you all. Pleease review and tell me what you think of the fic, where it's going… and any hypotheses about what's happening (Bookworm, you're not allowed to do that bit)._

_Oh, and keep in mind I am NOT a doctor and so if any of you spot holes in my diagnoses or whatever, it's an honest mistake! I'm describing the symptoms from personal experience though. A couple of years ago I had to do a medical exam to get a visa and woke up on the day of the exam feeling exactly like Sam did in my description... NOT fun!_


	4. A wintry chill

_A/N: Well, I don't have MASSES of reviews like some, but I'm happy to know that I've got you all wondering what the hell is going on! Some of you seem to be getting the gist of it, which is pretty cool... especially since this chap offers quite a few explanations (well as many as I'll give. As usual, it's not all quite as it seems)._

_Hope you like._

* * *

**Chapter 4 – A wintry chill**

* * *

"Doc! I'm on my way in! Sam's collapsed, but she'd gone kinda nuts before that. I need you to meet me there!" Jack barked into his phone as he sped along the deserted streets towards the SGC. He hadn't hesitated an instant when Sam had fell and it had taken him a matter of minutes to get her into the truck and on the way. He didn't know what the hell was going on but hoped to God or whoever he should be hoping to that Janet could fix it and bring Sam back to him. 

As he approached the base he heard Sam stirring in the back seat. She coughed weakly before slowly sitting up.

"Wherarwe?" She said groggily. "Why did-? What's going-?"

"Shhh.. it's ok Sam." Jack cooed as he spied half of the infirmary on the surface waiting for him. "You had an… an… _episode_." He struggled to find a way to characterize what had happened. "Janet's waiting for us at the SGC, you're gunna be fine."

The letters 'SGC' seemed to have sparked something in Sam and she suddenly seemed incredibly anxious. "The base? I don't wanna go to the base! Jack," she pleaded to him. "Please don't make me go to the base!"

"Sam we _have_ to," Jack said with desperation, feeling more and more hopeless. "Something's up with you and we can only fix it at the base." Once again it occurred to him how strange it was that Sam didn't want to be on base. He made a mental note to mention it to the Doc.

She couldn't be goa'uld, he rationalized to himself while pulling to a stop at the base and following the action as Sam was transferred to a gurney before being wheeled into the complex. She wasn't struggling as such, but definitely seemed uncomfortable with the idea of being restrained and taken under ground.

She couldn't be goa'uld, he continued along his train of thought. For starters, she _already_ had naquada in her blood from Jolinar… But more significantly, the routine scans they were all subject to upon returning from off-world had come up negative like always. Still, if he hadn't have known better, he would have said that there was currently a battle going on in her mind. The fever? He'd never seen her sick before… maybe she was just acting irrationally due to the fever? These and many more thoughts racing through his mind accompanied him on the trip down into the base.

* * *

"Sir, you should try to get some real sleep." Janet looked reproachfully at the crumpled-looking Jack who was sitting uncomfortably on a chair next to Sam's bed. "Her fever's gone down, so she should return to normal. Jonas has responded to the anti-biotics as well. It must have been a bacterial infection – they'll be fine within a couple of days at most." 

"So when she-?"

"More than likely it was the fever." Janet nodded firmly. Jack had told her of Sam's actions and, although strange, given Sam's condition they didn't cause her too much concern. "She was spiking at near dangerous levels when you brought her here – enough to make anyone slightly gaga."

"Hey!" An indignant little voice squeaked from the bed in front of them. Both Janet and Jack looked down to see Sam smiling weakly at them. "Call me a science geek, call me eccentric, but I'd like to think that I'm at _least_ sane."

"That's right Carter – and I've never seen a tree in my life." Jack replied, almost weak with the relief of hearing her voice.

"Well, Sam's sanity aside," Janet was having trouble hiding an impish grin, "both she and Jonas no longer present any symptoms of the infection apart from some lingering markers in their bloodwork. As long as you're still doing this well tomorrow, I see no reason why SG1 shouldn't be able to return off-world the day after that."

"So when can I go back to my lab/office?" Both Jonas and Sam spoke at the same time, eliciting a hearty laugh from Janet and Jack.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Jonas." Janet said while still beaming. "Since you're both so eager, I really don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to feed your workaholic tendencies after lunch today. But only a couple of hours, got it?"

Both the patients seemed satisfied by this decision and, as if a switch had been flicked, they both sank back into their pillows and returned to the land of slumber.

* * *

About thirty milliseconds after lunch, Jonas was crouched over his desk, concentrating so hard on the glyphs in front of him that he didn't even hear Stacey knock on the door almost an hour later. Given this, he nearly jumped right out of his seat when she spoke. 

"So this is your office then?" Stacey said conversationally, looking around the strange space filled with all the relics of ancient Egypt and various missions.

"Uh… yeah." Jonas managed to spit out once he'd recovered from the shock. "Well, I mean I'm kinda borrowing it from it's original inhabitant, Daniel Jackson."

"That's the guy who… _ascended_, right?" She asked, still not fully able to get her head around the idea of Daniel's journey beyond the physical world.

"Yeah I know it sounds kinda strange…" Jonas smiled at her, "but we're pretty sure he's up there somewhere, watching over us – Sam and Jack have both seen him."

"Really?"

"Yep. When Jack was a prisoner of Ba'al apparently Daniel helped him, and then he appeared to both of them before and during the Australia mission."

"Ba'al…" Stacey scrunched her eyes up, trying to remember what she knew about him. "He's the one who was trying to get to the naquada in Australia…"

"Yeah, real nasty piece of work." Jonas raised his eyebrows thinking about their dealings with the diabolical false-god of bad fashion. "Lucky we know the Asgard, eh?"

"Hm." Stacey moved closer and leaned over Jonas' work on the desk to see what he was up to. "Any luck translating what we found?"

"I've got a few leads," Jonas said, leaning back on the chair and looking up to meet her eye. "You've gotta understand though, the mission's the fun part – this kind of analysis Sam and I usually do takes way longer and involves a lot more coffee than gallivanting around across the galaxy."

"Ah, but I bet it's more interesting in the long run." Stacey said with a wink. "I mean, seeing something is completely different to actually _understanding_ it."

"Yeah I guess," Jonas stifled a yawn and leaned back in to the desk.

"You sure you're alright? You shouldn't still be resting?" There was suddenly a hint of concern in Stacey's voice upon seeing the apparent fatigue Jonas was trying so hard to hide.

"No I'm fine," he shook his head. "And anyway, you said it yourself – this is the interesting part." He pulled a printout of the photos taken from under a hefty pile to show to Stacey. "Look at this, I've translated the words, but what it _means_ is presenting such a puzzle that I can't leave it."

"Well? What does it say?"

"Ok, well here it's talking about a trial of co-existence between deities." He and Stacey both leant over the desk with heightened concentration. "Two super beings meet, with equal power and strength, and so rather than destroy each other decide to try something different."

"Deity would indicate goa'uld…" Stacey was thinking aloud, "but they would _never_ try a compromise like that."

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Jonas nodded enthusiastically. "But what if this 'other' deity was so powerful that the goa'uld had no choice? Perhaps then…"

"But the planet we found was deserted… what happened?"

"Well, this is where it gets kinda vague." Jonas admitted, pulling another printout towards him. "Apparently the trial failed.."

"Surprise surprise."

"Yeah," Jonas grinned at Stacey's response. "So the trial failed and one power destroyed the other." He looked up to the woman standing next to him. "If we're talking about a goa'uld, I'd be betting he was the winner."

"So the goa'uld then just left the planet?"

"As far as I can tell," Jonas squinted over the image before seeing something. Abruptly, he leapt to his feet in search of a magnifying glass and, with bated breath, crouched over a corner of text that he previously hadn't seen. "Wow."

"What is it?" Stacey was leaning in just as close, although she herself couldn't understand what was written.

"You were right about the goa'uld thing." Jonas murmured quietly, still reading. "The 'other' deity had a plan to survive the wrath of the _snakegods_." He looked up to Stacey who was waiting for him to continue. "_Within the walls_." He completed the sentence before sitting back down on his chair, unable to make head nor tails of it.

"What the bloody hell does _that _mean?" Stacey asked with some frustration.

"I don't know." Jonas said quietly, "The walls collapsed while we were there and there didn't look to be anything inside them… I guess we should ask the others."

* * *

Back in her lab, Sam pored over the data she'd managed to gather from the crystals and apparently old-fashioned computers before the building collapse. She took another swig of the herbal tea that she had been drinking as if her life depended on it all afternoon to feel properly alert. Truth be told, she should have been in bed as she still felt a little weak after her unanticipated illness, but the information she was looking at was too intriguing to do so. Jack had been in and out of her lab, trying to convince her to relax, but for the moment she had managed to convince him that she was ok. 

There was no way she was going to stop now anyway; what she had found was too good. Despite its appearance the native civilisation's computer systems were actually quite advanced. Although it looked like a throw back to computer in the 1980s on Earth, the technology used was so innovative that it was probably _more_ advanced than what they had in 21st century. The appearance was completely contradictory to what she was looking at. The technology appeared to rival the goa'uld system of crystals; the pathways and functions seemed synonymous, although how both civilizations had got there were obviously different.

All this commentary on the mechanics of the systems didn't tell her much, however. Although it was always comforting to know that there were peoples capable of rivalling the goa'uld without borrowing or stealing technology, the fact that this people had disappeared since didn't bode well. The real interest lay in the photographic data she had managed to recover. They seemed to be historical documentations – something the goa'uld rarely kept. It was for this reason that she'd called Teal'c, who at that moment arrived at the door, accompanied by Jack.

"You wished to consult me, Colonel Carter?" His low voice filled the room easily. "It pleases me to see you in better health."

"Ah yes, thanks." Sam said almost distractedly as they entered the room. She had created a slideshow on her computer of the images and was just flicking through them one more time before sharing her hypothesis with the others.

"You're not working too hard, are you?" Jack had moved closer than Teal'c and was now leaning over her shoulder, his mouth lingering just above her ear so she could feel his breath on her skin.

Sam shivered slightly at the feel of Jack so close, but managed to keep her composure, mindful of Teal'c's presence in the room. "I'm fine." She said, nodding her head slightly before addressing Teal'c. "This is what I called you over here for – have you ever seen anything like this before?"

She leant back and manipulated the angle of the monitor so that they could all see it properly, and waited.

"Humanoid aliens… what a shock." Jack broke the silence to be greeting by a withering glare from Sam.

"I believe Colonel Carter is commenting on the relationship between the subjects of these records." Teal'c said evenly. "This figure here is labelled as a snake-god." He pointed to the label at the bottom of the image.

"Well, makes sense." Jack said. "He's accompanied by a scary guy who couldn't be anything but Jaffa."

"D'you recognize the symbol on the Jaffa's forehead?" Sam asked Teal'c, ignoring Jack's comments.

"I do not."

"So it's another one we don't know of!" Jack clicked his tongue impatiently. "What's so great about that?"

"Jack would you just be _quiet _for a moment?" Sam said with uncharacteristic irritation. "Teal'c, what about these guys?"

The image they were currently looking at depicted a meeting of two leaders and was tagged with the label: 'The Agreement'. There was nothing condescending in the goa'uld's pose while dealing with this other civilisation – presumably the natives of the planet who had since disappeared. The representative of this mystery civilisation seemed just as coolly confident as the goa'uld.

"Is it possible that a goa'uld would _choose _to co-exist with another civilisation? On an equal basis?" She asked, looking at Teal'c.

"I would not have previously thought so." The Jaffa replied. "This image is most perplexing."

What if the goa'uld just _couldn't_? What if they couldn't be used as Jaffa?" Jack was trying hard to contribute meaningfully to the discussion.

"It is most unlikely, O'Neill." Teal'c turned to his commanding officer. "There are a couple of species for which this is the case – and they have either been enslavened or slaughtered in the past."

"So there must have been something else." Jack said, thinking hard.

"Yes, but I think you're probably right in one way." Sam was nodding vigorously. "Whether it was for biological reasons or not, this goa'uld didn't use these people as slaves or even subordinates – these people were more like rivals." She nodded towards the images which seemed to show a series of tense negotiations.

At the word rival, Teal'c suddenly tilted his head on an angle, a move that Jack noticed quickly. He touched Sam's shoulder and they both turned to look at him, waiting.

"There was a legend of a rival race – a tale propagated among the jaffa depicting a set of evil gods." Teal'c said slowly. "I do not know much of this race, but it was said they did not require the use of a symbiote or Jaffa… that their young came from a malevolent winter breeze."

"A _malevolent winter breeze_?" Jack said incredulously. "What kind of legend _is_ this?"

"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c acknowledged the ridicule. "I had always imagined this tale a childhood story designed to warn our young from wandering from camp in cold weather. It appears, however, that some truth may lie behind it."

"So if these guys were so powerful… what happened to them?" Jack voiced what all three of them were thinking.

Another voice broke the silence from the doorway. "The goa'uld found a way to defeat them." Jack, Sam and Teal'c looked sharply to the door to see Jonas and Stacey standing there, out of breath as if they had run.

Jonas moved into the room and slapped the printouts clutched in his hand onto the small amount of space on the bench. "There was a trial cohabitation of what's termed as two deities," he indicated the relevant section of glyphs. "Apparently it didn't work…"

"So shocking." Jack rolled his eyes but shut his mouth as everyone turned to glare at him quickly before looking back to Jonas.

"As far as we can tell, the goa'uld wiped out the others," he paused for dramatic effect, sharing a glance with Stacey. "_But_ there's a small passage of text here that is interesting." He pointed to the said area and saw Teal'c eyebrows raise.

"What?" Jack said quietly after a moment's pause. Gone was the sarcastic tone, he was now curious apart from anything else.

"There existed a plan to survive the attack of the goa'uld." Teal'c said simply. "_Within the walls_."

Jack tried to calm himself for a moment but the preposterousness of what was being said got the better of him. "Ok, so first these guys apparently come from a _malevolent winter breeze_… and now their plan of survival involves something _within the walls_?" He looked to Sam, hoping she found this as consternating as he did. "Carter? Any clues?"

Sam had gone very quiet. Something very frightening had occurred to her, but she couldn't be sure about it. The look on her face must have alerted Jack to this as he suddenly moved closer, placing a hand on her arm.

"Sam?"

She turned abruptly to Jonas, energised by her thoughts. "What were those walls made of?" Her question was asked with an urgency that shocked them all.

"I… I don't know." Jonas looked at her apologetically.

"It wasn't any form of stone or brick we'd seen before though, was it?" Sam pursued. "It was something synthetic – we saw that when it collapsed." She turned to Jack to explain. "It's true that from the _outside_ it looked like a regular stone structure… but there was something _hollow _about it. It crumbled much like a kind of plastic combination."

"And?" Jack still wasn't making a connection.

"Sir," Sam said, her voice becoming small as she realised what this may mean. "Man-made building materials like that incorporate _air _molecules in their structure."

She waited while everyone in the room digested this information.

"Whatever was in that winter breeze was put _in _the walls." Jack said slowly, his eyes growing wide with fear. "And you two were exposed to it."

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: So... I'd like to congratulate liketoread and caligate for being on the right track in their own ways... keep in mind i never really give easy explanations though so we're going to have to see what happens next... _

_I humbly request that you would do me the honour of furnishing my eager in-box with the fruits of your reflection concerning this passage of fictional creation. (Tranlsation: please review!)_


	5. Proliferation

_A/N: So here we are again. I really don't know how long I can keep this pace up. At the moment I'm house/apartment hunting which means I'm looking at heaps of places but have quite a bit of spare time in between… hence the ability to write something like a chapter every day! I hope you're all appreciative…_

_Thanks for the reviews, and thanks to Trtlsoup when they see this for dropping me a line – looking forward to hearing (well, reading) what you think! And to those who review occasionally, I appreciate the feedback even if it's only once in a while... so thanks for making the effort._

_Enjoy…_

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Proliferation**

* * *

Jack sat silently next to Sam on one of the beds in the infirmary as the whole of SG1 plus Stacey waited for Janet to finish looking at the extensive test results. It was all he could do to remain composed let alone calm. Although his facial expression was one of tense resignation to the waiting game, inside he could feel himself spiralling into ever more frightening stages of despair. What if they couldn't get this thing outta Sam? What if she couldn't get rid of the non-snake snake inside her? 

He grimaced slightly but managed to choke back the yelp of helplessness that had threatened to burst from his throat. He couldn't lose her now. He'd almost lost her so many other times; too many for him to count. He'd had to act against his feelings and do what was best for the country – or the planet – all his adult life.

He glanced over at Sam and remembered how he'd had to make tough decisions in the past. She'd pleaded with him when Jolinar was inside her mind. He'd just walked away. With all his might, he'd wanted to run back to her, to believe her, to let her out, to hold her… to kiss her even. But he'd walked away because he'd believed her compromised by a goa'uld. He knew that if she _was_ infected with whatever this thing was, he'd have to do it again. But he didn't know if he'd be able to this time. Then, he'd been in love with her… but then, he hadn't known the complete bliss of reciprocation. The wonderful sensation of knowing she loved him too, of feeling her against him, of hearing her peaceful breathing when she slept next to him in the early hours of the morning. He scrunched the bedsheet into his hand as he thought of all this and more, waiting in the painful silence decorated by the heightened tension of the room.

Just as it was all about to get too much, he felt the warm touch of Sam's fingers lacing through his. Without a moment's thought for the other people present, he grasped at her hand before pulling her towards him and hugging her tightly. He knew she could feel his panicked heart beat. He knew she could hear his ragged breath. He knew that she knew how close he was to collapse, and he was more thankful than he would ever admit for just that. She knew and loved him as much as he did her.

"I love you." He felt her breathe the words into his neck, so soft that he doubted anyone else could here. "Whatever happens, I love you and always will."

He couldn't respond. He tears prickling at his eyes threatened to fall down his cheeks and he just held Sam even tighter until the delicate sound of Janet clearing her throat brought them both back into the room. Taking a deep breath, Jack loosened his grip on Sam and they both looked up, the fear evident in their eyes.

"I've gone over all the tests extremely carefully," Janet began, mindful of the weight of trepidation drenching the atmosphere. She cut right to the chase. "I don't understand it, you're both in perfect health!" She look at them with a mix of amazement, disbelief, and cautious joy. She waited for a response, but there was none. "Sam, Jonas, there is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with you!" She tried again; it was amazing what shock could do to a person.

"Oh, well case closed then." Jack said contemptously. "Who's up for pizza?"

"H-hang on." Jonas said haltingly. "You mean you can't find evidence of _anything_ in our bodies?"

"Nope." Janet grinned at them.

"But then why… how…?" Sam couldn't even formulate the words, her brain seemed to be clunky and malfunctioning.

"Sam, we know that you can't be infected by a goa'uld because of Jolinar." Janet took a step forward and grasped one of Sam's hands. "I think the bronchitis was a _reaction_ to whatever may or may not have been in those walls… your body rejected it!"

"And me?" Jonas was skeptical; afraid of believing the seemingly good news.

"It has not been established that your kind is capable of housing a symbiote, Jonas Quinn." Teal'c seemed to be the only one apart from Janet capable of formulating a complete sentence.

"He's right," Janet nodded. "Physiologically you're quite different from the humans of Earth. It's possible that something there means you rejected the hypothetical infiltration."

"So we're both fine?" Jonas said slowly, his expression lightening as the words left his mouth.

"Hm-mmm." Janet nodded. "I'm not even convinced there was any kind of 'goa'uld rival' in those walls anyway… it's infinitely more probable that you both succumbed to a bacterial infection. That being said," she said hastily, before everyone went racing out of her infirmary, "just to be sure, I have to insist you both stay on base tonight."

Sam was about to protest, but the look on Janet's face and the penetrating gaze of Jack's eyes boring into her persuaded her not to. She looked into the deep brown eyes locked onto her and smiled shyly before glancing back at Janet.

"Ok." She and Jonas both said at the same time, before everyone got up to celebrate in the mess hall.

* * *

Stacey was sitting on the bed in her temporary on-base quarters, pillow propped up beside her and top secret mission reports strewn across the covers. The blinking clock-radio next to her read 11.30pm but she hadn't noticed how late it had gotten. Since dining with some of the other members of the SGC some four hours ago she had been enthralled by the tales of SG1s travels. 

Where another person would be bitter about having to remain on base, Stacey was glad to have the chance to catch-up on everything that had happened since the beginning of the stargate programme. She'd only just moved into the apartment organised by the Air Force anyway and this dark room was just as much home as it was.

Every now and then she thought of Sam and Jonas, hoping to God that the doctor was right about their illness. But the knowledge that they were probably asleep by now – both were exhausted by the end of the day since they were still recovering – and safely on base meant she didn't worry too much.

A knock at the door suddenly snapped her out of the gripping report recounting the first meeting with the Tok'ra. She hurriedly put the report aside and secured all the random pieces of paper so that nothing would fall off before moving towards the other side of the room.

"Jonas!" She exclaimed with pleasant surprise at seeing the man who was waiting in the corridor. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I _was _asleep," Jonas said stiffly, "but I woke up about 20 minutes ago… One of the SFs told me you were still here so I thought I'd come and say hi."

"Oh, cool." Stacey hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the slightly chaotic state of her quarters. "Umm… d'you wanna come in?"

"Yeah," Jonas stepped into the room quickly and moved across to the bed, his eyes darting to and fro, taking in the surroundings. His eyes moved to the bed and eagerly approached the many reports. "Getting acquainted?"

"Uh, yeah." Stacey blushed, rushing to tidy the room a little bit. "There's a lotta history to learn. How did you do it?"

Jonas paused for a moment, as if slightly confused. He looked at her quizzically before the expression on his face cleared and he found a response. "Truth is, I still don't know everything." He perched on the end of the bed, clearing some of the reports so Stacey could sit next to him. "I'm just learning as I go… so much about humans on Earth is strange even to me."

"Oh yeah?" Stacey sat next to him gingerly, feeling the nerves rising up within her. "Are we really that weird?"

"Well… maybe just the people in this base." Jonas smiled slightly weirdly. "I've been trying to figure out some points of human interaction…"

"Such as?"

"Well," Jonas leaned in so he was looking very closely at the young Australian woman. "When, for instance, it's appropriate to kiss someone."

There was something in the way that Jonas said this last sentence that put Stacey on guard. She couldn't really qualify it, but the tone of his voice seemed somehow formal, slightly menacing even. The butterflies in her stomach reminded her how she'd wanted him to try to kiss her – probably ever since they met – but there was something really disconcerting about his expression.

She pulled away slightly to look at him more carefully and saw something strange in his eyes. They looked like they were watering slightly – not as if he were crying, but more like there was slightly too much fluid there. He reached his hand out to grasp her arm and she felt a strange tingling sensation where his fingertips gripped her flesh. It was as if they were _buzzing_.

"Jonas, I don't think-" Stacey tried to pull her arm back from his grasp but he merely tightened his hold, causing a strange burning sensation where they were touching. "Jonas STOP!" She said more forcefully, getting up and wrenching her arm away from him.

"What?" He asked coolly. "Don't you like me?" He stood up as well and moved towards her, trapping her in the corner of the room, his eyes now getting a creepy bluish tinge. "Isn't this what humans do when they like each other?" He moved his face in towards hers so there were only a couple of inches between them. His next words were spoken as a menacing order. "_Show _me."

Those final words shocked Stacey into action and with one swift kick she kneed Jonas in the groin, incapacitating him for the moment she required to scamper out of the corner and run towards the door. Jonas recovered remarkably quickly, however, and cut her off before she could get out of there. He grabbed her by the wrists and threw her down onto the ground, straddling her as she fought blindly against his surprising strength.

"I _need_ to learn if I am to assimilate in this world!" He snarled, his watery eyes piercing into her. "I am aware of his attraction to you – you _will_ cede to my demands!"

Stacey realised quickly what was going on and, incapable of overcoming his increased strength, resorted to her greatest weapon: she opened her mouth and let an enormous scream escape from her highly capable lungs.

Within moments, two SFs who had been walking in the corridor outside had burst through the room and, between them, wrenched Jonas off her. One of the men realised what had been happening and turned on Jonas, livid with rage. He started punching the Kelownan in his anger but Stacey yelped again for him to stop.

"It's not him!" She rasped, trying to pull the man away. "He's been infected by some stupid alien thing! He needs to go to the infirmary!"

The SFs both froze for a moment and looked to the frightened Australian in disbelief. One of them shook his head, sharing a look with his companion before they both hauled Jonas out of the room, in the wrong direction if they were heading towards the infirmary.

"Where are you going you morons!" Stacey hurried out after them, irate. "He's SICK! He needs HELP!"

"Captain," one of the guys threw over his shoulder, "that may be the case, but for the moment he needs to be detained – until the Doc tells us otherwise he's gotta be locked up."

"But-" Stacey watched helplessly as Jonas was hauled away, struggling as well as he could. She looked to and fro, frozen on the spot in the corridor for a moment, before running in the other direction to find someone who could help.

* * *

Sam tried to ignore the blurred vision that kept plaguing her attempts to focus on the screen of the laptop in front of her. She let her head drop into her hands and took a couple of deep breaths to try and steel her nerves. She was exhausted, but on no account did she plan on going to sleep. Jack had tried to coax her into getting some rest, but she'd refused. No matter what Janet said, she wasn't going to take the risk. She didn't for one moment believe the story of sleep-walking and fever. She _knew_ that something was wrong, she just knew it in her heart. 

"Sam, don't make me order you to sleep." Jack was sitting next to her on the couch. He had insisted she leave her lab, but had lost the battle regarding the laptop. They were currently sitting side-by-side in one of the larger guest quarters on the base. He had refused to leave her side and was currently playing with a yo-yo.

"You can't order me to sleep." Sam said without emotion, not moving. "You're no longer my CO."

Jack merely groaned in response, throwing the yo-yo clear across the room. He loved her so much but she could be _so_ stubborn at times. "Could you at least try to relax a little bit?" he sounded irritated, but he was actually edging on despair. "Put the laptop away. If you don't wanna sleep we can… _talk_."

This comment managed to get Sam to turn and face him. For the first time that evening she cracked a smile. "_You_," She punched him lightly. "Want to _talk_? Jack, you'd almost prefer to be captured by Ba'al again than talk for hours on end."

"Only because I'd get to bark genius one-liners at him…some of my material is priceless - I've been thinking of sending some suggestions to the writers of _The Simpsons_." he ginned back at her before becoming serious again. He placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder, caressing it slightly with his thumb. "You know I can listen, though…"

"I…" Sam faltered, so tired she didn't object when Jack slid the laptop off her and onto the coffee-table in front of them before settling into the corner of the couch, her delicate frame now resting against his. "I'd prefer to work, take my mind off it all."

"Sam, you've been looking blankly at that screen for the past hour doing a _very_ good impression of Teal'c being particularly stoic." Jack said, his eyebrows raised. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Sam let a long, slow breath escape through her lips. Looking at the clock, it shocked her to see that it wasn't that late – not even midnight yet. She didn't even know where she would start - and she certainly didn't want to get bogged down in her feelings - but, if it was going to keep her awake, she was going to give it a shot.

"Last night," she spoke finally after a long pause, looking straight ahead towards the door. "Last night had nothing to do with a fever – it wasn't me. It couldn't have been; to begin with, I'm not that strong."

"Hey, you heard Janet…"

"I know!" Sam cut Jack off before he could say anything else. "It's not that I don't trust Janet's diagnosis, but we're probably dealing with an advanced parasitic alien race just as conniving as the goa'uld." She glanced behind her into Jack's soft eyes. "Jack, I _never_ get sick – and how else would you explain what Jonas was doing; how both he and I suddenly gained the strength to throw people across the room?"

"You don't know any of that." Jack said, keeping his voice only just above a whisper. "And you're stronger than you think you are."

"This is ridiculous!" Sam suddenly sat bolt upright and looked back at the still lounging Jack in disbelief. "We _know_ from experience that immature goa'uld can only manifest while the host is asleep or unconscious – why wouldn't it be the same for whatever this species is?"

"Sam, you're talking about a puff of air!" Jack sat up to draw level with her. "A _snake_, ok – I'll admit those things have brains in them. But a freakin' _puff of air_?"

"Jack," she began again patiently. "Every living thing is, at the base of it, made up of elements, compounds and molecules. Whether we can _see_ it or not, that doesn't tell us anything – a particular composite part might be so small that it's impossible to see."

"What, like nanites?"

"Well, _those_ we can see under a microscope," Sam ran her fingers through her fair hair, wishing some useful answers would come to her. "But I don't think Janet found anything too worrying in our bloodwork."

"I'm guessing that's _not_ a good thing." Jack had given up trying to convince her that everything was going to be ok.

"We need to know what we're fighting if we're going to have any chance of beating it." Sam drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin.

The sound of someone running through the corridor, and then banging on the door to the room next to theirs caused both Jack and Sam to sit upright. The hysterical shrieking of Stacey filtered through the thick door and Jack leapt to his feet to see what was going on.

"Colonel!" Stacey cried out with relief as he appeared in the corridor. Sherushed over to him and grabbed at his arms. "It's Jonas! He… he… he wasn't himself! And they… they…" She couldn't complete her sentences, so distressed was she at what was going on.

"Where is he Captain?" Jack asked, pushing away from Stacey to look around in the corridor.

"They took him to the isolation cells!" Stacey screeched, her arms raised above her head in panic. "Colonel he needs _help_ – not to be locked up!"

"We know Stacey." The urgency of the situation had reinvigorated Sam's resolve and she had moved directly in front of Stacey, her steady gaze calming the woman. "Come with me to the infirmary. Colonel O'Neill will meet us there – _with_ Jonas." She glanced quickly at Jack. "I'll get someone over there to sedate him and call Janet in if she's not there."

"But shouldn't you-?"

"We can't take the chance!" Sam hissed. "The same thing could happen to _me_!" She held Jack's gaze for a few moments. "It could have been _me_ being hauled into isolation." She murmured.

Jack nodded curtly before turning on his tail and jogging down the corridor towards the isolation cells.

* * *

Stacey and Sam had moved briskly towards the infirmary with the drama of the moment foremost in their minds. They had barely spoken a word to each other as everything depended on getting the help they needed. The sight that greeted them upon arriving, however, was nothing like what they expected. 

Sam burst through the door ready to call Janet and find someone to help Jonas but she was instantly stopped in her tracks. Janet was already there and she was tending to at least three patients all presenting with the same tell-tale signs of bronchitis that she and Jonas had awoken to just the day before. More worrying still, however, was the state Janet was in. She seemed flushed and, not unlike the poor SFs on the gurneys, she was wheezing heavily while trying to go about her work. Both Sam and Stacey stood there, fixed on the spot, looking to each other in disbelief.

Janet looked up to see Sam and a brief shared look told them both what they needed to know.

"We need to call General Hammond." Sam said quietly, before turning again and racing out of the room.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: Ok so I hope everyone appreciates the enormity of the problem they'r facing… I know how **I** want to resolve it, but I'd be really interested to hear what you think._

_Also, I've been getting worried that my characterizations are a bit off – it's been over 6 WEEKS since I've seen an episode of SG1 and I have absolutely no prospect of seeing one until Channel 7 here in Aus decides to start the 9th season (I'll be waiting forever, I know). I tried, especially in the second half of this chap, to strike a good balance between the Sam and Jack we know from the show, and the people they've evolved to through my last fic. D'you think it's working? (Bookworm, I know your answer and I thank you for the support!)_

_So yeah, _prier de me rendre vos opinions concernant ce chapitre _(ie. Please review)_


	6. Awakening

_A/N: Well, here we are again.. next day and I've got another chapter. No idea what's going on with that. I should find out tonight whether I got the apartment that I REALLY want - so I hope you'll all cross your fingers for me! (So nervous...)_

_Thank you for the encouragements... we should get some more insight into Sam's behaviour in this one... hope you like!_

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Awakening**

* * *

"Yes sir we have gone into effective lockdown." General Hammond had the red phone clasped to his ear as Sam sat anxiously on the other side of his desk. "Yes sir, no sir there were only a handful exposed who had left the base and we're recalling them now… yes sir that is most advised…. Thank you sir." 

He put the phone down and concentrated on his breathing for a second, considering everything that had happened, as well as the options that presented themselves.

"How many had left the base, sir?" Sam asked quietly, feeling increasingly culpable for everything that was happening. At least she had found General Hammond still on-base – a stroke of luck considering it was now midnight.

"Only five personnel who had been in direct contact with either you or Jonas," the General said, "but there were 50 more who we're recalling anyway as a precaution." He rubbed a hand over his head with fatigue. "There are people coming into town to keep an eye on the medical clinics and hospitals, however, just in case."

"Lucky it's summer – there shouldn't be too many cases of bronchitis." She said morosely before looking up to the General, silently asking him if she had permission to go.

"Colonel I need you to find out as much as you can about what we're dealing with." General Hammond said gravely, fully aware of what he was asking the woman to do. "But you'll have to report to the infirmary first."

Sam got up slowly but hesitated before moving. "Sir, I don't think I should be let to wander around the base… given my, uh, condition."

"What do you suggest we do?" The General asked simply.

"Sir, in all truth I should be at least confined to quarters."

General Hammond put a hand up to stop her, shaking his head slowly. "Colonel, I don't think that's going to make a difference at this point. Within half an hour of now we will be in complete lockdown and until then there's a marine unit on the surface preventing anyone who would want to from leaving." He stood up, indicating that the discussion was more or less over. "If we're going to have any chance of beating this, we need intel – and you're our best bet to find it at this point. Work with Teal'c to translate as much as you can of the data gathered and report back at your earliest possible convenience."

"Yes sir." Sam turned and walked out of the room, shaking slightly. There had been a reason she'd requested to be confined. Despite the knowledge that she needed to remain where she was, there was an irrational urge boiling within her to leave by any means possible. Preferably to the surface. It was a dangerous feeling and she recognised it as not being her own but, until now, hadn't mentioned it to anyone. Steeling her resolve, she moved down the corridor to find Teal'c – who would in all likelihood be performing kel'nor'eem at that time. For the moment her mind was strong. She prayed it would stay that way.

As she approached Teal'c's room she found her thoughts wandering to the unfolding scene in the infirmary. Any more patients and Janet would have to start treating people – and herself – in their temporary quarters on base. Given the infiltration of whatever they'd caught manifested like a simple case of bronchitis, this shouldn't be a problem, but it was unnerving to know that each and every one of these patients could start acting like Sam and Jonas had. If they were allowed to associate while in their "sleeping" states, she didn't' like to think of what would happen. For all she knew, this could be a well conceived alien invasion plan that they had unwittingly set into motion.

She knocked on Teal'c's door and waited almost a minute. Too long. Usually, although Teal'c's kel'nor'eem was profound, he responded to external stimuli. Sam tried to quell her nervousness as she slowly opened the unlocked door and poked her head in.

"Teal'c I'm sorry to…" she trailed off as her jaw dropped open and she threw the door open, rushing in through the plethora of candles to the Jaffa's side. Teal'c had slumped to his side and was for all intents and purposes unconscious. Sam tried in vain but there was no way to rouse him. Leaping to her feet she reached the wall-mounted phone within seconds and got through to the infirmary. "We need another gurney in Teal'c's quarters." She said briskly, not waiting for a response before hanging up and rushing to her friend's side once more.

* * *

Stacey stepped into the briefing room with apprehension and sat towards the far end next to Sam. General Hammond was at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Janet and Jack. Sam was seated to Jack's left. Everyone's eyes turned towards her and she noted that both the General and the doctor seemed flushed and were coughing occasionally. Looking to Jack, however, she noticed that – like her – he was showing none of the symptoms of the infection. 

"I apologise for keeping you waiting sir." Stacey said formally. "I can't thank you enough for including me in this meeting."

"N-not at all, Captain." The General coughed slightly as he spoke. "You were part of the original off-world mission at the root of this problem, and you were with Jonas for his… ah… _episode_. I am confident you can provide us with valuable information."

"How's Jonas?" Sam asked.

"Sedated for the moment." Stacey nodded, "He's unconscious and strapped down to a gurney in the infirmary… I guess it's necessary until we know more about what's going on."

"Right." Janet said as all the eyes fell on her. "I don't know if I have good or bad news… I just know it's news." She took a deep breath and pulled out some of the test results she had been slaving over for many hours. "I know it's late," in fact it was almost 1am, "but I feel given the fact that the most dangerous period seems to be as people are sleeping, it was best we meet now."

"Of course Doctor." General Hammond nodded. "I don't think anyone will be getting any significant rest for a while. Please continue."

"Well, all I can tell you for now is that after an initial incubation period of roughly 36 hours, the physical symptoms Jonas and Sam experienced seem to disappear." Janet nodded to Sam in recognition as she spoke. "This doesn't, however, mark the disappearance of the strange behaviour which, from both Jonas and Sam's findings, would seem to be attributed to a cognizant life form."

"I'm guessing that'd be the _bad_ news." Jack said through a lengthy yawn.

"Uh, yes." Janet replied quickly before continuing. "Well the _really_ bad news is that whatever this thing is seems to be proliferating much like any run-of-the-mill airborne disease… within a couple of days, the entire base could be affected."

"So we could all start acting strange?" Stacey asked, more to confirm her understanding rather than because she didn't get it.

"Yes. And it could be much worse than that." Sam jumped in, her steady voice betraying the increasing sensation of foreboding within her. "If these 'other' us's start organising within themselves, or if they get strong enough to take over our minds during our waking hours, then it could only be a week before the entire SGC is permanently compromised."

"Oh, so nothing to worry about then – just another day at the office." Stacey said with a faint smile, leaning back in her chair to think about the helplessness of the situation.

"What about T?" Jack suddenly sat up a little straighter as he thought of this other piece of the ever-complicated puzzle. "Does anyone else think it's kinda weird that he's just been completely KO'd?"

Janet nodded briefly before taking another sheet of paper from within the large stack in front of her and consulting it. "Actually yes. His scans indicate he's not in a deep state of kel'nor'eem, and he doesn't have any of the symptoms of bronchitis like the others. He _is_ stable though," she said with some satisfaction. "And he hasn't got up and started acting like a completely different person. I can only surmise that his symbiote is somehow trying to protect him; or maybe it is in danger itself."

"Hang on," Jack felt his brain turning quickly. "These aerated punks were in conflict with the goa'uld at the end on that planet right?" He looked to Sam, who nodded in confirmation. "And even when they were doing that whole 'let's see if we can live together' bit the bubbly ones didn't infiltrate the Jaffa ranks."

"As far as I can tell, no." Sam confirmed, seeing where Jack was going. "You're right sir," she reverted to their previous ranks without thinking, "in all likelihood Teal'c _can't_ be infected by this species…"

"So…?" Jack had made the first connection, but the final leap was going to have to be up to Sam.

"Maybe it's the gassy thing trying to neutralise Teal'c?" Stacey suggested. "Maybe it can't infect him in the way it did you or I, but it can still compromise with his physiology."

"What, and keep him unconscious?" Jack turned to the bright Australian.

"It's possible." Sam was nodding in admiration at the suggestion. "It would explain a lot."

"Either way we won't be sure until we've done some more tests." Janet said, shuffling her papers back together and looking to General Hammond for guidance.

He coughed weakly, looking at the attentive but tired faces around him and spoke. "Dr, is there any way to determine whether a person is truly in control of their mind?" He finally voiced the question that needed to be asked.

"That's a real problem sir," Janet conceded, "I still haven't-"

"Oh hang on a tic!" Stacey suddenly jumped in, her face lighting up in realisation. "When Jonas um… when he…"

"When you saw him in your quarters," Sam prompted, in full knowledge of what had transpired and of the fact that perhaps Stacey wouldn't want to go over it in front of everyone.

"Uh yeah," Stacey smiled gratefully to Sam before looking back to General Hammond and Janet. "When he was in my quarters his eyes… they um."

"Glowed?" Jack suggested, not particularly helpfully. "Cos that's always a tell-tale sign that something's going on."

"No sir," Stacey shook her head curtly. "They just seemed really watery… like he was…"

"_Crying_ – but not." This time there wasn't a hint of sarcasm in Jack's voice, as he'd seen the same phenomenon in Sam the previous night.

"Yes that's it!" Stacey nodded vigorously. "But there was also this weird-"

"When he touched you it was like his skin was buzzing!" Jack interrupted her, glad to finally have found something that could help them.

"That's right…" Sam said as she thought aloud. "When he collapsed in my lab I felt the same thing…"

"Maybe some form of transference of an electric current?" Janet said thoughtfully. "Either way at least we can investigate that – and in the meantime we have a way to be sure that people _are_ who they say they are.

"Ok." General Hammond said decisively. "Until further notice I will have guards placed at all areas of importance in the base to ensure that no-one can get in or out. There will be a roster to make sure that there is always sufficient security awake and as themselves." He turned to Sam. "Colonel, I want you and Doctor Fraser to try to get some rest before beginning to work on a solution to this problem." He held his arm up. "No excuses. Neither of you will be any use to us if you're exhausted, and time is obviously of the essence."

He shifted his gaze so he was addressing the room more generally. "No one is to go to sleep without two armed guards posted outside their door, just in case. And no one is to be permitted to leave their quarters before they have been checked for the two symptoms Captain Hindmarsh and Colonel O'Neill just indicated." He got up to leave. "As of twenty minutes ago the base is in complete lockdown, using its own power reserves. The air filtration systems have been activated to hopefully halt or at least slow the spread of infection, but a no-go zone has also been established across a wide perimeter around the base. Until the situation is resolved, there is to be no communication with the outside world and certainly no activation of the stargate. Is all that understood? Good. Dismissed!"

* * *

"Hey Sam! Where ya goin?" Janet called out to her as she took off in the other direction down the corridor. "Your quarters are this way, like mine." 

Sam stopped briefly, the strange feeling in her gut telling her to cede and go to one of the loosely-guarded quarters. She knew she couldn't risk it however. She turned slowly, glancing quickly to Jack – hoping he'd understand what she was trying to do – before addressing Janet. "I'm going to sleep in one of the isolation rooms… just to be safe."

"Surely you don't need to-"

"I'll go with you." Jack said firmly, interrupting Janet before she could change Sam's mind.

"But-"

"Janet, I'll see you in a couple of hours." Sam said, nodding slightly to confirm her decision. "Stacey, can you stay with Janet 'til she gets to her quarters?"

"Yes Ma'am." Stacey nodded quickly, before they all parted their ways and started walking slowly in their respective directions.

"You know," Sam said quietly once they'd rounded the next corner. "People are going to realise you're a lot smarter than you credit yourself if you keep going along with me when I make decisions like that."

Jack smiled self-effacingly briefly, glancing across at Sam. "Oh, I don't know." He mused lightly. "More likely they'll think you've got me wrapped around you little finger." He raised his own little finger and winked at her.

"And who says I don't?" Sam said impishly, glad to forget the weight of the situation for a moment. "Just as long as this gaseous life-form doesn't take over…"

"Ok." Jack stopped for a moment, spreading his palms in mid-air to indicate he'd had enough. "We've _got_ to figure a name out for what ever this thing is – you and Janet use words that are _waaay_ too long."

"Well what about just 'the Gas'?" Sam asked, having stopped herself and turned back to look at Jack.

He cocked his head while thinking about it before nodding in assent. "_Bad_ Gas." He said under his breath before recommencing their stroll towards the isolation section.

As they reached the isolation rooms they were greeted by some slightly startled-looking SFs who had obviously been alerted ahead of time and were now waiting for them. Jack stopped briefly to give them iron-clad instructions _not_, under any circumstances, to go to sleep – or to let him or Sam out without checking their eyes and skin first – before following Sam in and nodding to the two men that they could bolt the door from the outside.

* * *

"So," Jack began, puffing his cheeks as they sat next to each other on the lumpy cot on the side of the room. "Not that I want to ruin your image of me as being intelligent or anything… but _why_ did you want to sleep here rather than in the sumptuous guest quarters we were in before?" 

Sam took a deep breath before saying anything. She didn't want him to move away, she didn't want him not to trust her. Most of all, she didn't want him to confirm her own fears. Finally, she turned towards and looked Jack straight in the eye, reaching for his hand with hers.

"My skin isn't causing a buzz is it?" She waited until he shook his head. "And my eyes are looking normal?" She waited again until Jack confirmed this. "And yet…" she said slowly, looking briefly to the ceiling for courage. "And yet there's this strange feeling… something inside me telling me that I have to leave the SGC – that I should have gone to the quarters instead of here." Jack remained close to her and didn't look to be moving away, so Sam gained some strength in what she was saying. "It's like when you were bringing me in last night – something deep inside me was _screaming_ that I couldn't come back here. That something isn't me… it scares me."

Jack didn't say anything at first, or even for a good couple of minutes. Instead he lifted his hand, still clasped within Sam's, level with his and her eyes. He lengthened his fingers and she did the same so they had them palm-to-palm. He looked pointedly to the joined hands and then looked back into Sam's eyes.

"As long as you try to fight it," he said patiently, "as long as it's _you_ I can see, hear and _feel_," he re-intertwined his fingers with hers, "then it doesn't matter what the Gas is trying to make you do." He brushed his other hand past Sam's neck and cupper the back of her head. "Even if you lose the battle – I'll get you back."

"Promise?" Sam said shakily, visibly on the point of tears – although understandably trying very hard to keep her eyes dry.

"Promise." Jack said, before guiding her down onto the bed and lying down next to her on the thin mattress. He shifted so she was half draped across him, nestled against his torso, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, stroking her hair lightly. "Now try to sleep – I promise I'll make sure you're you when you wake up."

"What if I hurt you?" A small voice came out of Sam's exhausted body.

"You won't." He replied simply, kissing her lightly on the head. "Now sleep."

As Sam slipped into an uneasy slumber, a cascade of microscopic neurotransmitters flooded through her spinal cord and into her head, overriding the organic chemicals that usually dictated her brain function. Diffusing through the tissues, they coordinated better yet than they had previously and soaked up the additional information available to them. Their incubation period now afforded them a great deal of power – power to comprehend and power to act. Contemplating the room their host had chosen to rest in, they waited – happy to gather their strength in order to soon overcome hers.

While doing so, they tuned their resources to listen for others. Busily they waited until they felt what they had been waiting for. The colony was spreading – they could feel kindred activity a couple of hundred metres away – and their brethren had already taken full control of one soul. It wouldn't be long.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: So, correct me if I'm wrong... but I think they're in a bit of a tight spot! I don't know if I'll be able to give you a fast update because I've come across the problem I always reach at a certain point in my fics. I KNOW what's going to happen, I KNOW how the problem's going to be resolved... but I'm always a little vague on how the CHARACTERS are going to realise that... so I may need a brief respite in order to work that out. _

_In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you guys think is going to happen... always interesting to see how see-through a plot is or isn't. Oh, and please keep fingers crossed for me about that place - I need somewhere to live!_

_Oh and I know Sam is being a little hysterical, but I'm taking into account the fact that it's an established S/J (therefore she's not as likely to hide her feelings and pretend to be tough all the time - at least not with Jack), and also she's scared (wouldn't you be?)._

_Ah another thing (this is going to be longer than the chap if I'm not careful!)... I'm slowly realising that although I occasionally do cliff-hangers, I'm usually more likely to do "commercial breaks." Maybe why I don't get 50 bagillion (I'm sure that's a real number...) reviews... but I just think the really mean cliff-hangers are - well - _mean_! Please show me you still care..._


	7. Berries and thorns

_A/N: Hello one and all! Firstly, thank you for all the reviews! I hope you finally got the term paper done, _Krazyalien_... sorry to be such an effective distraction (well, I'm not really sorry!) I'm so glad people are still intrigued... it's a tall order to come up with a sequel. I've just finished out the technicalities of how this is going to play out and I don't think you'll be disappointed! Oh, and welcome back _Bekki_... nice to see your little review there amongst the fray!_

_I know this was a little while coming, but I started work yesterday so my schedule's a little crazy... I'm moving house this weekend and I no longer have a car so everything is just a smidge more complicated... I'll try to do 2 updates a week, but that may go down to one... _

_Enough babble... enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Berries and thorns**

* * *

The Gas bubbled through his neural networks as he came to, conscious but now powerless against the complete infiltration. Things were so much clearer than they had been before. When the Gas had awoken only a matter of days ago, confusion had reigned. They had hoped fervently that this moment would never come, that the precaution of the seeds of its existence within the walls would prove unnecessary. Apparently the serpent-race had indeed proved untrustworthy, as the most proliferated of the Gas' ranks had tried to warn the younger swarms of their number. Most distressing of all, apparently the serpents had succeeded in destroying the rest of the Gas; they would have to start all over again. 

Sitting up from the bed, the Gas tried out the motor functions of their new leader-host. He was supple, fit, and knew no ailments that could hinder their renewed proliferation. He even seemed to rejoice in certain abilities that their previous incarnations had not known. His mind was fast and more complicated than before – aiding their proliferation. The complete subsumption of his consciousness had been facilitated by this and other factors.

Instinctively calling out to the others, the Gas discovered that only one other colony was nearly as far advanced and able to converse. They were held within a woman – an equally brilliant specimen – but were detained in a secure section of the structure. The two colonies conversed silently and it was established that the humanoids were unusually aware of their predicament; that precautions would have to be taken to ensure the renaissance of the diffusion.

Getting up from the gurney they moved quietly and seamlessly, being careful not to awaken any of the humans in the process. They noted with satisfaction that the seeds of new colonies were forming in each and every of those bodies – and soon in all the other bodies of the base.

As expected there were a couple of guards standing at the exterior of the door, looking quite bored. As expected, two men attempted to stop the Gas as they passed through, carefully avoiding direct skin or eye contact.

"I'm sorry Mr Quinn," one of them said woodenly, "but no-one is authorised to leave the infirmary without authorisation."

"Huh?" the Gas said with a convincing laconic tone. "I just woke up – what's going on?"

"Until further notice everyone is confined to their quarters or the infirmary." The other SF said quickly, taking a step forward to try and heard Jonas back into the room. "Until we here otherwise, you'll have to stay here."

"But I need to see Colonels Carter and O'Neill!" The Gas pressed on, contorting the now compliant vessel's face to an appropriate expression of anguish. "I've realised something really important about this threat." The SF's hesitated. "Look, I'm me, ok? If I were possessed, you'd here some kinda freaky voice or something?"

The Gas waited anxiously, hoping that the two humans were as stupid as they looked.

"That's not what General Hammond said." One of them murmured to the other quickly, clearly sceptical of the intel they'd been given by the base CO.

"Yeah, but these aren't Goa'uld." The other replied forcefully, strongly gripping his weapon to show his opinion.

"Listen, guys." Jonas raised his eyebrows in appeal. "All I wanna do is talk to the Colonels. The base is locked down right? Where am I gonna go?"

The more friendly of the two SFs held a hand out to muzzle the other. "Yeah sure. I'll radio ahead."

Jonas triumphantly walked down the corridor towards the isolation rooms while the SF spoke on the radio. The more sceptical of the two guards, however, looked at the Kelownan as he distanced himself down the corridor as he reflected upon something.

"Hang on!" He said urgently to the man next to him. "How did he know the base was in complete lockdown?"

The other looked at his counterpart, his eyes widening as he realised the implications of this. Simultaneously, they clutched their weapons and ran after Jonas.

* * *

Jack lay on the uncomfortable bed, springs sticking into his back. But none of this discomfort had really occurred to him. His eyes were trained on the grey ceiling as his hands easily slid up and down a warm and delicate forearm that was draped over his chest. He didn't know how long he had been there, but each moment since Sam had fallen into an uneasy slumber had been a moment where he'd been on high alert. Monitoring her constantly as he listened to her breathing, feeling for the buzzing that would alert him if the Gas took over her movements. His most fervent hope, above all this, was that she could get some real rest – some sleep which would keep her in good health to get them out of this mess. 

"Comfortable Jack?" A familiar voice almost made the Colonel jolt. Glancing quickly to the left, he saw an ethereal-looking Daniel leaning languidly against the wall of the isolation cell.

"Would ya keep it down?" He hissed angrily, not particularly shocked or surprised to see 'Mr Ascended.' "I've got a sleeping Carter on me!"

Daniel just smiled enigmatically in what Jack interpreted to be supremely annoying smug-ness.

"Ok." He whispered forcefully, infuriated by Daniel's silence. "So I'll admit we've got a bit of a situation here but I'm telling you now you're _not_ going to ascend me!"

Daniel merely raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"And no advice either!" Jack continued. "I don't care if you've got all the wisdom of the universe!"

"It looks like you benefited from my last visit where I gave you advice." Daniel shrugged, quietly enjoying teasing the man who against all odds became a great friend.

Jack's hand momentarily stopped its course down Sam's forearm and his thumb softly drew small circles in her wrist. He remembered the last time he'd seen Daniel and had been basically told to get himself in order and go for it with the woman he loved. He rolled his eyes in defeat and looked over to Daniel again.

"Yeah well; none of that means I _enjoy_ being told what an idiot I am." He grumbled. "So just come out with whatever it is."

Daniel pushed himself lightly off the wall and moved towards Jack, crouching down on the ground next to him. "Jack, you're somewhat misguided, but not an idiot." He said quietly.

"So are you actually going to help us or is this a social call?" Jack asked through scrunched up eyes, his mouth wide as he yawned.

"Jack, you know I'd like to come by more often." Daniel began, only to be cut off.

"Yeah, yeah I know…" Jack sighed. "Important big picture stuff."

"Something like that." Daniel smiled, not missing the note of bitterness in Jack's voice. "Listen Jack," his expression suddenly became focussed as he remembered what they were there for. "Have you noticed how you're not getting sick like all the others?"

"I thought you weren't allowed to…" Jack had begun mocking Daniel until the words spoken sunk in. "Hang on… wha…?"

"You still haven't felt any of the symptoms have you?" He nodded suggestively. "And you definitely should have by now considering how close you are to Sam."

"The Doc said something about different rates of… ummm… intubation or something." Jack tried to remember the gist of what Janet had been talking about.

"It's _incubation_." Daniel said quietly. "And I don't think that can explain why it's only you _and Stacey_ who haven't been affected."

Jack thought about this for a minute, completely stopping his methodical caress of Sam's wrist as he did so. It had already been established that he and Stacey had something special – something that meant they could operate Ancient devices.

"So whatever it is about us… all that stuff Thor was talking about…" he was speaking slowly, working things through his exhausted mind.

"You and Stacey are immune." Daniel finished for him, nodding encouragingly. "Think you guys can do something with that information?"

"Well… I'm sure Carter'll figure something out." Jack said, resuming his light massage of her perfect skin.

"Good." Daniel said, turning to leave. "We're about to be interrupted," he said, motioning to the door.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Jack grouched. "You gotta go."

"Yeah." Daniel said, beginning to fade until suddenly his form became clear again. "Oh and Jack? Congratulations." With that he disappeared completely, leaving an expression of complete incomprehension on Jack's face.

* * *

"I _need_ to see Colonel Carter!" the Gas raised Jonas' voice slightly as they tried to get their point across to the sullen SFs standing resolutely in the corridor. 

"We appreciate that, Mr Quinn." One of the men said while rolling his eyes. "But our orders are clear – and you shouldn't even be wandering the halls."

"We're going to have to insist that you enter the isolation room behind you until we hear otherwise." The other man added, nodding in the said direction.

"I. Don't. Think. We. Made. Ourselves. CLEAR!" Jonas' voice rang out in the corridor as he seamlessly swung his arm across the jaws of the two men, knocking them instantly to the ground with superhuman force.

Just as he did this, however, the two SFs from outside the infirmary rounded the corner and positioned themselves on each side of the corridor, weapons trained on the rogue Kelownan.

"Get down on the ground!" One of them shouted, his weapon shaking silently as the man they had hoped was really Jonas turned slowly to look at him, his eyes glistening with the infection within.

"You will not succeed in quashing our force." The Gas hissed at them arrogantly. "We are destined to rediscover our position as dominant beings; we will not make the same mistakes we did last time; we _will_ prevai-"

The last word was cut off as one of the previously unconscious SFs managed to get to his feet and strike Jonas sharply in the back of the neck with his weapon. Despite the superhuman strength afforded by the presence of the Gas, the human physiology couldn't escape its weaknesses. Jonas dropped instantly to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Sam was brought abruptly back to consciousness by both the kerfuffle that was clearly audible in the corridor, and the fact that Jack was moving next to her, standing up slowly to move towards the door and listen to what was happening. Her sluggish mind managed to engage enough with her surroundings in time to hear a dangerous-sounding Jonas apparently incapacitated with a loud thud. 

She raised her head slightly, surprised to find that she still felt herself, and cleared her throat. Jack turned around to look at her with lightening speed, but there was no fear in his eyes. He didn't seem to be apprehensive of whether he would find her or the Gas in her body. Instead, he moved towards her and sat next to her with absolute faith.

"Wait." Sam sat up next to him, grasping his arm with her hands and looking straight into his eyes. "Check my eyes and skin."

Jack looked at her with a smile before shaking his head slightly and kissing her softly on the lips. "You're you." He said before again getting up and moving towards the door.

As he did so, the heavy metal slab abruptly opened towards him and he was faced with at least 5 SFs, their weapons trained on him.

"Colonels." One of them said in a cold voice. "Forgive the imposition, but we need to check your vitals before proceeding."

"Huh?"

"Of course airman." Sam said, able to think much more clearly than Jack at this point, despite her sleepy state. She stood up to stand next to Jack and they both waited patiently while the men examined their eyes and tested their skin.

"What's happened?" She asked briskly, once everyone seemed satisfied that they were who they said they were.

"I'd say someone got a bit impertinent." Jack said mildly as he leant out of the door just in time to see some of the men dragging Jonas into another one of the isolation cells.

As Sam came out into the corridor to survey the situation, the sound of running footsteps alerted them to an extremely worried Stacey who was powering down the hall, the tell-tale sign of Janet's high heels clipping briskly behind her.

"Is he…?" she began asking, before stopping to just watch as Jonas was deposited on the bed and the door closed on him.

"He's been compromised." Sam confirmed with a curt nod. "But we'll fix it," She said hastily, "I don't know why, but I'm feeling clearer than I did before."

"Really?" Janet said, surprised. "I'm feeling worse," she shook her head slowly. "It's like there's this feeling inside that is against my will – and I feel it getting stronger."

"That's what I felt!" Sam said enthusiastically, "but when I woke up I felt somehow stronger within myself, my resolve is better. I'm becoming more like me."

"It's a pity the same can't be said for Jonas." Jack murmured quietly, looking through the small reinforced glass window in the door of the isolation cell.

Sam looked from Jack to Stacey quietly, deep in thought. It had just occurred to her that neither of them had yet presented any of the symptoms that seemed to be plaguing the rest of the base. Even the SFs present in the corridor were showing mild flu-like symptoms which were probably early stages of the bronchial entry infection.

"Stacey," she said slowly. "Have you started feeling any of the effects yet?" When the Aussie indicated that she hadn't, she turned to Jack, who also shook his head – although in his eyes there seemed to be none of the confusion that graced everyone else's.

"So neither you nor Colonel O'Neill have been affected at all." Janet said forcefully, taking a step forward to look into the Captain's eyes. "What are you thinking Sam?"

"Well, we know that these two have something in their genetic structure that differentiates them from the rest of us…" Sam began, shrugging slightly. She hoped that this meant they wouldn't be infected, but didn't know for sure.

"I think we're immune." Jack surprised everyone by speaking quite confidently on the matter. "Daniel dropped in." He said while smiling slyly, to explain his sudden insight. "He wasn't much help, but he _did_ say that maybe you ladies would be able to make something of it…" Suddenly realising something, he grimaced to himself before looking to Janet with woe. "This means needles doesn't it?" He said ruefully, nodding his head slowly with resignation when Janet nodded, smiling at him with amusement.

"Well, let's go figure it out." Stacey said with conviction, before leading the troupe down the hall towards the already full infirmary.

Jack lagged behind them, in full knowledge of the importance but unable to get excited about the promise of being jabbed and poked.

"So what else did Daniel say?" Sam said while quietly tugging at his arm and getting him to move with the rest of them. "You should have woken me up – I would have liked to see him."

Jack looked up quickly and met Sam's eyes, remembering Daniel's final words to him. Congratulations for what? He saw the surprise in her features at his reaction but quickly settled his expression to avoid further questions. "Ah y'know, he'd love to visit more but being all high-and-mighty takes up a lotta time… that kinda thing."

Sam simply nodded, slipping her hand into Jack's as they moved through the eerily empty corridors. As she felt better within herself, the Gas realised they were losing their grip. They vainly tried to communicate the breach to the only fully formed colony but found that their capacities for communication had even been compromised. A change in the host body was making it harder for them to coordinate, harder for them to infiltrate. They felt the biochemical make-up of Sam take control in a way that they had always dreaded. With one final effort, they mustered all their strength in a short-range communication to the forming colony in the doctor. Their host must be eliminated; as should be Colonel O'Neill and Captain Hindmarsh.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: The title of this chap is from a Gaelic proverb - "Some of the sweetest berries grow among the sharpest thorns" __This and other sections of the chap are indicating some changes - good and bad - in the state of play... I wonder what you all think they are? _

_Despite my busy schedule, a sure-fire way to speed up my posting is to review!_


	8. Takeover bid

_A/N: Well, I've just had my first week at work… all induction and training. I'm also moving house this weekend so it's all a bit chaotic. What that means, of course, is that I had little to no access to the internet! This chap was ready to go on Thursday but I haven't been able to log on to post (sniff). _

_Thank you all for the fantastic reviews! It was so exciting to see them here once I FINALLY managed to connect and I hope you can all deal with my sporadic posting while I get settled in!_

_Here we go again…_

**Chapter 8 – Take-over bid**

* * *

Janet sat perched over the microscope as she vainly searched for something common to both Jack and Stacey that also differentiated their bloodwork from that of the general population. Her hands were shaking. She had planted her palms flat on the bench in an attempt to control them. As she grew increasingly tired the waves of powerlessness that had been plaguing her became stronger. She knew that sooner or later whatever it was inside her would manage to completely infiltrate her actions. It was imperative that she found some answers – or at least some leads – before that happened. 

"Stacey, I need you to get the other samples out of the centrifuge and serially dilute them 1:1000 with distilled water." Janet said calmly, without looking up from the microscope. Ever since reaching the lab, she had been verbally issuing instructions and explanations to the bright Australian so that some form of research analysis could continue should she be incapacitated.

"Serially, that's in stages, right?" Stacey asked as she carefully handled the disposable test-tubes.

"Yep." Janet said quickly, before pulling abruptly away from the microscope in disgust. "There's absolutely _nothing_ unique about yours or the Colonel's blood." She said with frustration.

"Something will turn up – at least in those… um… _phages _and sequencing tests you were talking about." Stacey said, squeezing Janet's arm lightly as she passed her, moving towards the pipettes lined up on the bench for the dilution.

"But they won't be _fast_ enough!" Janet said a bit hysterically. "D'you know how complex DNA is? It's nothing like on crime TV shows." She twisted her head to look at Stacey so abruptly her neck cracked. "We've only just managed to map the human genome – examining specific strains is still years away! Besides," she slumped slightly in her chair with the helplessness she felt, "we don't even know _where_ to look."

A weak moan suddenly caused both Janet and Stacey to look to the corner of the room where Teal'c had been installed on one of the spare gurneys. He was strapped to the portable bed for security but had been housed in the lab due to the uniqueness of his predicament and the fact that he was the lest likely to suddenly start acting strangely.

"Teal'c! How are you feeling?" Janet was by his side in a moment, her resolve momentarily strengthened by the change in circumstances.

Teal'c's eyes fluttered weakly. His breathing was laboured and in short bursts, and there were beads of sweat coating most of his visible skin. "Dr Fraser." His voice was so weak it rasped at a whisper. "The Gas… it is gaining strength throughout the base."

Stacey, who had turned instantly to watch Teal'c, now moved closer and leaned in next to Janet. "What do you mean? How do you know?"

"Its communication…" He spoke only a couple of words at a time, struggling for long breaths in between. "It behaves as would an insect colony – the more it proliferates, the stronger it gets; what one colony learns, the other outposts in each host instantly knows as well." He strained briefly against the restraints, caught by a wave of pain. "The communication must be broken!"

"Yes but how?" Janet was leaning in so close she was almost on top of Teal'c now. "How do we do it? Why aren't Jack and Stacey affected? Why is Sam still ok when Jonas isn't?"

"AhhHH!" Teal'c grunted as his symbiote squirmed worryingly under his skin. "My symbiote, it cannot sustain the attack much longer…" He looked to Janet, calm for a moment, his eyes pleading with her. "The colony in Colonel Carter is almost no more…"

"Huh? Teal'c? Teal'c stay with us!" Janet grabbed him by his huge arms and shook slightly, trying to rouse him – without success.

"How does he know all that?" Stacey looked to Janet wide eyed as they hovered above Teal'c's now unconscious form. "Is he? Has this Gas…?"

"I don't know." Janet moved slowly away from Teal'c, fighting the desire to push a pillow over his head and stop him from giving any more information that could help.

"He didn't sound like Teal'c," Stacey had sat down in front of the test-tubes she'd been working with before and was striking a pose like 'The Thinker' as she ran through the possibilities. "He was so… _verbose_… if the Gas is attacking his symbiote… maybe he can hear their _communications_, as he said it?" As she continued to think out loud, she didn't realise that Janet was moving towards her, a strange watery quality now surrounding her eyes. "Then… he was talking about _Sam_… the key might lie with her!"

Stacey's face brightened up with the idea she'd just had and she whirled around to look in Janet just in time. Instead of celebrating in the fact that they had finally been given a lead to go on, she found herself faced with a clearly compromised doctor, holding the heavy microscope above her head. With brilliant instincts, Stacey ducked out of the way just as the instrument crashed through the bench. She threw everything she could in Janet's direction: a chair, a filing cabinet, and even the coffee pot that sat next to the door. She wrenched the door open and, with all her strength, pulled Teal'c's gurney out with her into the corridor, slamming the door behind her and slapping her hand against the emergency alert button on the wall. Her final action before sinking to the ground in a shaking mess was to electronically lock the door to the infirmary lab, using a trick Sam had shown her to ensure it couldn't be opened from the inside.

* * *

Sam crouched over the plethora of files that were almost streaming before her eyes on the computer screen; searching for anything that could indicate the smallest of weaknesses with the Gas. Some people would express scepticism at the idea of a race recording their weaknesses in their records, but Sam knew that in the most seemingly inconsequential of data, surprising insights could be found. Still, she was yet to find any her nerves were becoming increasingly frayed with the stress of all that was riding on her research. 

She was concentrating so hard that she didn't hear Jack enter the room. Her first clue was the wonderful aroma of coffee that filled the space – but for a moment she thought that was just a figment of her exhausted mind. When a steaming mug of the smooth liquid appeared in front of her, however, there was no doubt about it.

Looking up with an appreciative smile she grasped at the rejuvenating tonic and brought the cup slowly to her lips, relishing the warmth both of the milky substance, and also the wonderful warmth of Jack's lips which were lightly feathering her neck as a way of saying hello.

"Mmmm. How's your arm?" She said dreamily. Looking around to Jack.

Jack feigned supreme suffering and pouted dramatically. "Arm_S_, plural." He corrected Sam haughtily. "After losing _many_ pints of blood I think Janet's finally got enough to work with." He paused, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to expose the offending sites.

"And yet you managed to bring me coffee?" Sam leaned up to kiss him quickly on the lips. "You're positively _superhuman_."

"Yep." Jack said with smugness. "Good thing Thor thinks so too – we might have a way outta this mess." He dragged a stool from the edge of the room to perch next to Sam, leaning in to look at the computer screen. "Whattawe got?"

Sam scrunched up her face and blew into her cheeks, leaning back from the computer to look at him. "A lot of statistics, population data, photographic records… nothing that leaps out at me for the moment." She said apologetically.

Jack leaned in to the screen as he looked at a slideshow of everything they'd managed to decode and translate using the decryption software devised. There were pictures of groups at different locations, but most of all population and predominance statistics.

"Almost everything is about what translates as 'colonies'," Sam motioned a particular piece of text. "That's what they seem to call the groups present within each host body. At the base of it," she said with amazing scientific detachment, "they're just like any other species trying to survive and prosper."

"Yeah, and Teal'c's just a big cuddly teddy-bear." Jack grumbled angrily. "I don't buy any of it."

"Maybe not," Sam said patiently, "but towards what we've determined to be the end of their existence, they had a real crisis in terms of population; too many of their number were being killed and they had no hosts to replace them – they even considered reproduction of the hosts."

This comment surprised Jack slightly and he looked up at Sam with an incredulous expression on his face. "What's to consider?" He said, baffled that a race would _not_ want to reproduce.

"Well," Sam said, drawing the word out as she searched in the computer for a file. "One of the earliest files we found details how host reproduction is actually forbidden…" she finally found what she was looking for and gasped briefly in satisfaction. "A-ha! Here it is, yep… it's flat out forbidden, _for the integrity of the colonies_."

"I think it's a little ambitious to say that an evil cloud of Gas could _have_ integrity in the first place." Jack said tiredly, suddenly disinterested with the reams of useless information in front of them. He looked to Sam to see if what he'd said had managed to make her smile, but was startled to see her face had gone incredibly pale and she seemed to be swaying on the stool.

Quickly he got to his feet and supported her by the arms, helping her stand carefully and swooping her into his arms to gently place her on the ground.

"Hey, you ok?" He said, leaning over her as she lay on the cold floor listlessly.

Sam, frustrated at her apparent weakness, sat up slowly, waiting for the dizziness to go away before smiling gingerly at the brown eyes that were wide with concern.

"Yeah, just a dizzy spell." She said breathily. "I'm still me at least…"

"Not that I'm unhappy about that… about you being _you_…" Jack seemed to be thinking deeply; his facial expression was one of painful effort. "But why is that? I mean, you saw how Janet was having more and more problems controlling herself – she's had to start giving Stacey instructions because she doesn't trust herself not to contaminate her research."

Before Sam could give the problem due consideration a general alarm sounded through the base and both she and Jack were instantly on their feet, the latter reaching for the phone.

* * *

A couple of SFs were the first to respond to the alarm emanating from the infirmary laboratory and they came running down the corridor to Stacey's position, followed a few moments later by both Sam and Jack, who had weapons drawn. 

"Dr Faser's been compromised." Stacey rose slowly to her feet, catching her breath as she leaned against the wall, her eyes trained on Sam and Jack. "Teal'c had just come to for a coupla minutes before she lost it."

Jack moved quickly to Teal'c's side and shook him slightly, but was disappointed to see that he appeared unconscious as before.

"He passed out again," Stacey said quickly, before looking at Sam again. "He _did_ say something that could be useful – but we'd need a lab and I dunno if we can do it without a doctor."

"We can use the biotech lab upstairs." Sam didn't question Stacey for a minute and was instead thinking ahead. "Let's get Teal'c to a secure location."

"I don't think that's a good idea." An eerie chill had infested General Hammond's voice. Sam, Stacey and Jack looked sharply behind them to see their CO bearing down on them; staff weapon in hand.

"We think a better idea would be to neutralise the _real _threats present." The Gas worked its way through his neural networks to exercise the General's vocal chords. "Brethren," he nodded to the SFs, who had suddenly stood to attention, their eyes watering just as his were. "Seize the threats."

Although the airman had a renewed strength they didn't count on the speed or agility of the fugitives that were in their midst. Jack quickly zatted the General and Sam took care of the two SFs while Stacey quickly sprinted down the corridor in the other direction, pushing Teal'c ahead of her.

The zats only served to stun the Gas-infested humans, and Jack and Sam found themselves running backwards as fast as they could. Neither wanted to inflict a second zat, but the speed of General Hammond's recovery in particular forced them to take the chance. Again, he wasn't neutralised, nor were the SFs. They did, however fall to the ground, affording the only un-compromised people remaining in the SGC to escape around the corner and into the elevator.

* * *

The Gas had dispersed, disoriented and scattered by the electric current coursing through the host body. It took a couple of moments for reintegration of the pathways and swarm sections of the General's colony; enough time for the infidels to escape. The instant its number had come together sufficiently, a general alert was transmitted to the others. All those contained would be released; the threats would be hunted down and killed – only then would the colony move to the next stage. 

_We will conquer this new land and cement our supremacy far wider. Our number will not be quashed; we will prosper once more._

All around the SGC, at every level and stage, the previously deserted corridors were filled with personnel. To an outside observer, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. There was, however, a silent hum that betrayed this illusion. Bodies were coordinated in their movements as the Gas went about establishing themselves.

In a corner of level 16, Jack, Sam, Stacey, and Teal'c unconscious form constituted the last hope for the SGC and Earth. Slamming the door behind them Sam instantly plugged in the laptop she'd grabbed from an adjoining room and began typing furiously, reinforcing all security measures and sealing off their sector. They heard the safety doors slamming shut just ahead of the footsteps running down the corridor and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

The brief respite didn't last long, however. Wide-eyed, the three conscious members in the room seemed to appreciate the severity of their situation at the same time. Jack and Stacey instinctively looked to Sam for suggestions of a path they could take, recognising her scientific expertise.

What they saw when looking at her, however, brought an entirely new world of anguish and panic. All of a sudden, Sam's complexion blanched until she was white as a sheet. Before anyone could say anything or move, her eyelids fluttered and she fainted, dropping awkwardly to the ground.

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: Well, I hope this has managed to transmit the severity of the situation… there may be hope – but they've only got a VERY short amount of time to figure it out before the Gas spreads beyond the SGC! And then there's the begging question – what's going on with Sam? Hmmm… _

_Nice to see some ideas in the last round of reviews… hope you continue to think – but you'll just have to wait and see exactly what I've got in store!_


	9. Never say die

_A/N: Well had I known there was going to be such a fantastic and intelligent bout of reviews to the last chap, I would have made sure this one was written ahead of time! I've just started my new job for real and so don't have a great deal of time at my disposal. Although I can't post or read any fics from work, I CAN receive reviews and I want to thank everyone who brightened up my new office life with their opinions and theories! _

Spamurai_, you're the closest yet with your theory on what's going on… and I think I'll refer to your idea down the track somewhere… and I'm glad you like Stacey!  
_Bookworm,_ of course you are my fanfic rock… however the fact that you're worried about how I'm going to get this fic to its conclusion… well it worries me frankly!  
_Stc_, I know where you're coming from with the whole S/J PDA thing… main problem though is that they spend almost this whole fic on base and I want some cheese in it! I've tried to keep them pretty professional in the presence of others… and I don't exactly think they'd bunk down in the same quarters if there wasn't some crazy alien gas crisis going on  
_LJQ_, prepare to have your question answered…_

_Hopefully I can begin to answer these questions you've all been asking!_

**Chapter 9 – Never say die**

* * *

The sensation of once again spreading throughout a race of people caused the Gas to rejoice as much as they were capable of doing so. The increase in power felt was something that they revelled in, thrived in, _enjoyed_ – as much as they could enjoy anything. Not only had they managed to successfully incubate within the somewhat mediocre biological systems available, but their sheer superiority meant they would soon be able to move beyond the bounds of the insular military base they had awoken to find themselves in. 

Concentrating their efforts on the rotund leader of the base, the Gas transmitted the latest message and listened to the reports coming from the peripheral members of the swarm. Those members had been trying to penetrate the last enclave of independent humanoids in the base for almost an hour now. The clocks on the desk indicated it was well into the day – almost 11am. If action was to be taken, it would have to be initiated soon in order to effectuate maximum penetration into this new and ripe planet. It was imperative that they neutralise the incompatibles.

_All those with relevant hosts to begin manipulating the computing systems. _The leading Gas within General Hammond commanded. _Those with sufficient strength to the blast doors on level 16. We may not proceed until the threat of the incompatibles is quashed._

The Gas knew the importance of consolidating themselves before trying to expand beyond their bounds once more. Poor decisions had been their downfall before. This time they would proceed with meditated caution. This time they would not be defeated, relegated to hiding within the walls of a building. This time would be their time.

* * *

Jack knelt over Sam as Stacey worked efficiently around them. The instant she had fainted, Stacey had moved to secure her head, straighten her body horizontally on the ground while elevating her feet ever so slightly. Jack had managed to hold back while the young Australian worked, but was now kneeling beside the still unconscious Colonel, his right hand gently cradling her head on the ground as he stroked her hair out of her eyes with the other. 

The familiar sound of wrapping being taken off a blood-sample test tube caused him to sharply turn his head, his expression awash with indignation as he anticipated what Stacey wanted to do.

"What d'you think you're doing, Captain?" He said harshly. "She needs to recuperate – not to be jabbed full of needles!"

"Sir," Stacey had kept her voice even, although she had subconsciously shrunk away from the Colonel in the face of his menacing glare. "Something in Colonel Carter is successfully fighting against the Gas. If we're going to beat them then we gotta act bloody quick."

"What about the litres of our blood you and Janet were looking at?" Jack had subconsciously moved slightly so more of his body was between Sam's unconscious form and the needle-wielding Aussie, protecting Sam.

"We did every test we could short of genetic profiling with no results." Stacey shook her head before looking straight into Jack's eyes, imploring him to see the wisdom of what she wanted to do. "Whatever we've got that they don't – it's almost certainly genetic." She saw Jack hesitating and so pressed her point further. "We don't have the technology or the time to do that sort of investigation – although if we manage to live through this I'm sure we'll start."

Jack looked back down on Sam, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the floor. He glanced back to Stacey and the needle before rolling back on his heels and sitting down on the floor, moving backwards to allow Stacey the access to do what she had to do.

"Thank you sir." Stacey said, moving swiftly to Sam's side. "I'm not going to take any more than I need – she's weak enough as it is."

Just as Stacey said those words and pulled the needle out of Sam's arm, pinching the skin to stop any blood escaping, they both heard and felt a weak cough. True to form, as soon as Sam had regained even the smallest semblance of consciousness she was trying to sit up. It was fruitless, however, as both Jack and Stacey firmly held her in place.

"Hey, take it easy." Jack said softly, his voice filled with warmth and concern. "You fainted, and then Doc-Junior over here just took a coupla gallons of blood outta you."

"But… I… fine." Sam tried to say while making a supreme effort against Jack to sit up.

"Ok… you wanna sit up?" Jack was chuckling at Sam's stubbornness and determination. "We'll go halfway, alright?" He slowly helped her rise up a couple of inches of the ground until she was half-lying, half-sitting, leaning against his body.

"Sam?" Stacey had safely placed the blood sample in a test-tube rack on the bench before returning to the centre of the room. "Can you tell me what you think happened?"

"I.." Sam thought back to the moment before her collapse as they'd been running away from the infected members of the base. "I just felt really dizzy. Nothing special."

"Has this happened before?" Stacey asked gently, her mind whirring with the possibilities.

Sam shook her head slowly, but was met with a sharp jab in the ribs from Jack.

"Uh-uh Carter," he tsk-ed. "That makes twice in the space of an hour this morning." He looked up to Stacey. "She nearly fainted just before you sounded the general alarm."

"I did _not _nearly faint!" Sam objected indignantly, hoisting herself up from the comfortable resting place against Jack, having now regained most of her strength. "You _thought_ I was going to faint – there's a key difference."

"Ok." Stacey said precipitously before Jack could keep their childish argument going. "Have you been feeling strange in any other way? Nausea? A cough? Anything?"

Sam shook her head slowly. "Nothing out of the ordinary…"

"The _ordinary_?" Jack asked, suspicious that Sam was doing her classic playing down of symptoms. He knew it was almost impossible to get her to admit when she was feeling anything less than 150 per cent healthy – a result of having had to prove over the years that she was just as good as (and indeed better than) the many airmen she overtook while climbing the ranks to her current position within the SGC. "I suppose that actually means _'Yes Stacey, all of the above'_?" he teased her gently, knowing her only too well.

"Sam?" Stacey asked again, patient but persistent.

"Well I _was_ feeling a bit sick this morning," she began with a guilty look on her face. "But that's nothing out of the ordinary – I just eat something bland to settle my stomach!"

"You _usually_ feel sick in the mornings?" Jack looked to Sam in disbelief.

"Well, just for the last little while…" Sam said defensively. "I thought it was just stress…"

Stacey seemed to be deep in thought and had returned to the bench. She was now busily diluting samples while turning various machines on in preparations for the tests Janet had taught her how to do during the early hours of the day.

Sam decided it time to change the topic, and looked over to the still unconscious Teal'c. "Has he come to?" She asked, turning around so she was sitting cross-legged, looking at Jack. When the latter shook his head. Sam's heart sank and she realized with quiet resolve what they had to do.

"Sir- Jack," she said, recovering from the auto-pilot moment of addressing him as 'sir.' She looked at him sharply and he pointed his thumb behind him with a questioning look, asking if he'd understood her properly.

"If they've taken control of the entire base…" Sam began with sadness.

"Then we need to stop them before they get out." Jack completed her thought and rose to his feet, holding a hand out to help Sam get up – a hand she pointedly ignored while rising to her feet without his help.

Stacey had heard this exchange and turned sharply to face the now determined Colonels. "Can you wait a couple of minutes? I've got an idea which won't take too long to explore."

"Captain, we could have minutes or we could have hours before they get out." Jack said, grabbing the discarded weapons from the ground and handing one to Sam as they prepared to move out. "For all we know – there could already be a breach. We can't wait."

"Well at least take a radio…sir." Stacey added the mark of respect at the last minute, realizing how out of order she was being. "If I can work quickly I might have some answers."

"What is it?" Sam had been more ready than Jack to leave the room, but now was lingering, intrigued and almost excited by what Stacey was saying.

"With all due respect Ma'am," Stacey said cautiously, hoping Sam would leave it. "I wouldn't want to get your – I mean _our_ – hopes up. It could be a false-lead."

Sam looked at Stacey, wondering what was going through her mind. Usually she would have insisted that someone tell her exactly what was going on – Janet would usually tell her – but something kept her mouth shut. Maybe it was the way Stacey had addressed her – saying 'Ma'am' – or maybe it was how she had initially said 'your' instead of 'our' hopes.

Thinking of the symptoms she had observed over the past couple of days – especially during her 'recovery' from infection by the Gas, Sam had started to wonder about the cause for how she was feeling. She had an idea, but didn't dare tempt fate by verbalizing it. Instead, she nodded quickly to Stacey before turning towards the door. Effectively taking charge from Jack who had watched the brief interchange between the women with a look of sheer bewilderment on his face.

* * *

Jack and Sam found themselves on the other side of the door leading into the biotech lab, confronted with a difficult task. They could hear movement on either side of the two blast doors at each end of the corridor and knew that Gas-infested members of the SGC were doing all they could to get through the tough barriers. 

"You fixed the computers, right?" Jack asked, confirming his faith in Sam. "I mean, the security stuff – they can't get through that way?"

"I hope so." Sam said distractedly. "Either way, I'm sure they'll manage to get through eventually through brute force.

"Let's go then." Jack said quickly, powering down the corridor to the hatch against the wall that led to one of the many escape shafts around the edge of the base.

They climbed swiftly down the ladder in the darkened space, Jack ahead and below Sam as they progressed. He kept slowing briefly to check that she was going ok and hadn't been taken by any other dizzy spells.

"Jack, I'm going to fall over you unless you stop doing that!" Sam scolded him in a fierce whisper as yet again she almost stepped on his head. "I'm _fine_, really."

"So how many times is it now that we've had to set the self-destruct?" Jack said lightly as they restarted their descent, only to be greeted by Sam silently rolling her eyes.

Before he expected an answer, however, he stopped next to a hatch and listened intently for any sign of noise on the other side. Sam kept perfectly still and quiet, in the knowledge of the fact that their entire task could be foiled before they even got anywhere near the manual self-destruct should they be discovered.

Jack listened for a full two minutes before looking to Sam and signalling quietly that they were going to go ahead. With one smooth moment, he opened the hatch, hauled himself out of the shaft into the corridor and pulled Sam through, closing the hatch just as quickly as he'd opened it. The corridor seemed to be deserted, but neither of them took any chances, moving quickly to their left, taking position on either side of the corridor ever time they approached a corner.

At the third of these intersections, the silent hum that accompanied two Gas infested beings as they communicated wordlessly filled the space and Sam and Jack froze, the approaching footsteps causing them both to hitch their breath before retreated to one of the adjoining rooms. Jack found an open door first and pulled Sam into it, managing to close the door just as Jonas and Janet rounded the corner.

Walking in unnerving unison, the two of them moved down the corridor silently, their eyes fixed ahead. Completely unaware of the two 'incompatibles' hiding behind the door on their right.

Sam heard the footsteps moving away from them and turned in the cramped space to look at Jack. "Janet and Jonas?" She whispered, silently asking if he'd seen them as well.

"I know." Jack said without emotion, mentally distancing himself from what had happened to his friends and colleagues. "Let's go."

They reached their destination without encountering any other compromised SGC members – or anyone at all for that matter. Both of them slowed perceptibly as they moved into the room and took up positions on either side of the large device in the centre of the space.

They paused, looking at each other, their hands hovering over the keys of the keyboard. This wasn't the first time it had come to this. Supposing they somehow miraculously avoided destruction this time, it probably wouldn't be the last time either. Wordlessly a conversation took place between them, acknowledging what was at stake and how they felt. Jack grimaced slightly as he saw the sad look in Sam's eyes, but didn't waver. She gave him a sharp nod and they both began typing the required sequence.

"Don't do it." A third voice suddenly cut through the poignant silence of the room and both Jack and Sam instantly pointed their weapons to where the noise had come from.

"Hey – I'm not in corporeal form!" Daniel exclaimed hastily. "And you'll just alert the Gas to my presence if you shoot…"

"Daniel!" Sam breathed, relieved to see it was him and not one of their enemies.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack hissed at the same time. "You've gotta stop sneaking up on us like that Danny!"

"What do you suggest I do Jack?" Daniel asked, an infuriatingly innocent look on his face. "Send you a memo first? We both know you don't actually _read_ anything that crosses your desk."

"Well I dunno," Jack pouted insolently. "Maybe use you weird and wonderful powers to warn us before you beam in or something."

"Oooo…kayyy." Daniel said slowly, choosing eventually to ignore what Jack had said.

"Can you help us Daniel?" Sam was the only one who seemed to have remembered that they were on the brink of destruction and not having a pleasant drink down at O'Malley's.

"Well, you know I can't…"

"Yeah yeah, no interference… just complete annoyance." Jack rolled his eyes, interrupting an increasingly frustrated Daniel.

"Yes Jack." Daniel sighed. "But you can't set off the self-destruct before you know something – before you give Stacey a chance to complete her tests."

"Daniel we don't _have_ the luxury of time here!" Jack said quickly, pointing towards the ceiling. "There's an entire planet out there that could be overrun by an evil cloud of gas if we don't do this!"

"What's this all about?" Sam took a step towards Daniel, ignoring Jack for the moment.

"You know it in your heart Sam," Daniel took a step closer to her. "You've seen the clues in the records recovered from their home planet… you know what they fear in the human race… you know what your body's been trying to tell you. Listen to your subconscious."

"Daniel." Jack moved towards both of them, decidedly irritated at this point. "Get to the point. Some of us _haven't _figured it out, some of us don't _have_ subconsciouses."

At that moment the radio jumped into life and Stacey's voice came crackling over. "Colonel O'Neill? Colonel Carter? Please respond."

"This is Carter," Sam grabbed the device before Jack could. "What have you got Captain?"

"You should come back Ma'am." Stacey's voice sounded excited. "I've got some really promising news."

Stacey kept talking, but Sam wasn't listening. Her eyes had widened and a mixed look of joy and apprehension washed over her face. She caught Daniel's eye and felt tears forming in her own as she asked him: "Is it really true?"

Daniel nodded slowly, smiling widely.

"What?" Jack appealed to both of them feeling like he was suddenly stuck in a bad foreign movie without subtitles. "_What _is true? _What's _going on?"

Sam looked to Daniel again and saw him nod at her. At the same time, his voice filled her head: _This is why the Gas' hosts weren't allowed to reproduce – but more importantly, this is what you've always wanted. Congratulations._ She beamed back at Daniel, her heart filled with renewed hope and what could only be described as unimaginable joy.

"It's the hormones isn't it?" she was only half asking Daniel. In truth, she was running through the logic in her head. "They can break through the blood-brain barrier… the elevated levels must be toxic to the Gas."

"Carter!" Jack wasn't angry, but he was most definitely exasperated. He had now placed his body between Sam and Daniel and had grasped both Sam's arms, silently demanding an explanation.

"I…" Sam didn't know if she could say it. "I'm pregnant."

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: Ok I know everyone had kinda figured out the pregnant thing, but it's the SIGNIFICANCE that is going to be important. Congrats to Bekki though as she was the first to get the general idea…  
__I couldn't just leave all of that to you to figure out over the next week (I'm trying to be realistic, I may not get to post until then) which is why I put in Sam's little tentative explanation… but a fuller one is coming, I promise!_

_Just don't forget, it's not over… something to do with a fat lady etc… the main problem is how to proceed from here…  
__Please let me know what you think… I'm trying to keep things to a standard but it's been a busy week so I hope I haven't wavered!_


	10. Information overload

_A/N: I guess I'm making this a weekly posting thing. I actually had most of this chap written a week ago… it was just finding the time to doing the rest!_

_A word of warning: although I have a science degree and some experience with the chemistry I talk about, I don't have internet at home and so basically made a lot of this explanation up. I know it's wrong, but my main concern was to make it sound credible! Just remember it's all make-believe, ok kids?_

**Chapter 10 – Information overload**

* * *

Jack's mind reeled as Sam's words slowly filtered through his thick skull and made their way into his mind. His mouth opened and shut like a puffer fish as he tried to absorb the information, not even sure what to think. He stepped away from Sam slowly, and he looked at her from his new distance a couple of feet away trying to formulate a word, let alone a sentence. 

"You… you're.."

"Pregnant." Sam said more firmly this time, beginning to get used to the feel of the previously foreign word. Her mouth tugged into a tentative smile as she tried to read Jack's expression. She knew him well, but this expression she didn't think she'd seen before – she didn't know what to make of it.

"H-? Wh-? … _Who's _the father?" Jack suddenly blurted out, lips moving before his mind knew what was going on.

Sam was so shocked by this response she burst out laughing. "_You_ are, you idiot! Who d'you _think_?"

Jack was still having trouble internalising the information but his face suddenly cleared into a brilliant grin. He stepped back towards Sam, his arms out wide as he pulled her into the most enormous bear hug, almost smothering her within his embrace.

"You're _pregnant_!" he beamed at her with a cracking voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel Jack O'Neill has returned to the building." Daniel's note of dry humour broke the silence in the room and both Colonels looked to him suddenly, shocked to remember that he was still there.

"Uh Daniel?" Jack said quietly. "Not that we don't like seeing you or anything…"

"It's ok." Daniel held his hand up to interrupt his friend. "I've got to be somewhere anyway. Congratulations – to both of you."

As soon as he had disappeared, Jack looked back to Sam – in wonder this time. "You… and me… we're… … _baby_!" He finally managed to say the last word, spitting it out with a delighted yelp.

Sam giggled slightly at how this piece of news had completely destabilised the usually impenetrable Air Force Colonel – or at least robbed him of the power of coherent speech. "So this is good news?" She held back from him for a moment, searching for any relics of his painful past. The reason she'd ignored the clues provided to her had largely been out of fear for his reaction; if he didn't want kids… after Charlie.

Jack didn't respond, but instead fused his mouth urgently to hers for a quick but passionate kiss. This moment had changed his entire outlook. He had no idea why Sam's pregnancy would change their situation – or why it suddenly meant they should activate the auto-destruct – but he knew from Sam and Stacey's determination that there was something to explore. Even without this factor, though, Jack's priorities suddenly changed. There was nothing now – no Goa'uld, no rogue NID agent, no sodding cloud of Gas – that would ruin his planet, his _life_. He'd been given a second chance – with the woman he loved more than he could ever express – and he wasn't going to let _anything _compromise that.

"We should get back to the lab." Sam said, reluctantly pulling away from Jack. "We're still going to have to move fast if we're going to use this against the Gas somehow."

"Yeah." Jack said quietly, moving towards the hand, clasping Sam's hand as he did so – protectively leading the way. "I assume you and Hindmarsh've got some brilliant plan a-cooking."

"Well," Sam said cheekily just before they both fell silent to steal through the corridors again, "we _are_ brilliant…"

"That you are." Jack murmured under his breath before instantly retransforming into soldier mode. The worst thing now would be if they were apprehended when suddenly a light seemed to have appeared at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

Stacey could barely contain the mix of excitement and anguish she felt while waiting for Jack and Sam to get back to the lab. She didn't dare try to contact them by radio for fear of alerting some possessed members of the SGC to their position, but every moment that passed was pure torture. 

She strained her ears listening, each time preparing her weapon to fight if necessary. The fact that they could access other levels using the emergency shaft of course meant that undesirables could potentially access _their_ level. According to Sam's instructions, Stacey had remotely closed blast doors near that particular shaft on all levels other than the two they required – but there was no telling that she'd closed those doors with everyone on the _outside_ of them. Besides, the fact that they were now closed should have alerted the Gas as to how the final humans in control of their bodies were moving about the base.

These concerns managed to drain her excitement about Sam's pregnancy until she'd almost forgotten about the good news. Noises of movement in the corridor prompted her to take up position behind the inward-opening door, between the entrance and Teal'c's still, unconscious form.

Her relief to see the two breathless Colonels moving quickly into the room, their weapons also drawn as a precaution, was just as profound as their joy to see her. Sam's face instantly transformed from the picture of intense concentration to one of elation as she gladly opened her arms to Stacey who moved towards her to give her a congratulatory hug.

"Is it really true? Can I see the test?" Sam was speaking quickly and had already moved towards the bench where Stacey had been working. She was completely ignoring Jack, who had moved to check on Teal'c and kept looking to the two women a bit impatiently, conscious that time was passing.

"Here it is." Stacey's hand reached passed the complicated-looking array of test tubes of varied concoctions to the more benign white plastic stick. A stick that had a tell-tale blue line across the middle striking a stark contrast with the rest of its colour.

"Don't you have to pee on those things?" Jack commented from the corner, trying his best to stay involved in the conversation with the two excited women.

"The basic concept's the same." Stacey said matter-of-factly. "I just had to dilute and treat the blood sample to avoid a false-positive – that way there's no chance the hCG levels could be distorted by…"

"A-ah! I'm sorry I asked!" Jack slammed his palms over his ears like a little kid.

Stacey looked from Jack back to Sam, rolling her eyes as she looked to the latter. "He really doesn't change does he?"

"Oh I don't know…" Sam said with a faint smile. "You should have seen him when he heard the news – gives the word 'flabbergasted' a whole new meaning."

"Um, hello? The hands over the ears thing was all for effect – I can actually still _hear_ you!" Jack protested with mock hurt, before pushing himself off the wall he'd been leaning on and moving slowly towards them, a renewed sense of resignation about his aura. "Not that I wanna ruin the moment, but would one of you two geniuses mind telling me how we're going to kick this Gas' ass?" He paused, scrunching his eyes up with apparent deep reflection. "Does it even _have _an ass?"

"I've got an idea there," Stacey started, her regard focussed on Sam, "but I'm just a bit worried – are we really sure that the naquada in your blood isn't what's pushed the Gas out of your system?"

Jack's face looked like a shadow had moved quickly over it, the hopeful gleam in his eye had disappeared as he waited, looking to Sam anxiously.

"Well, of course we won't know for sure until we do something…" Sam began, nodding in assent to Stacey's point. "But there was something in the research I did on the Gas." She looked at Jack, seeing his face relax as he realised what she was talking about. "Apparently the breeding of hosts was completely forbidden."

"That and Daniel said it was important." Jack piped up, his eyebrows raised helpfully. "He may be annoying, but he's been more _know-all_… _ish_… of late."

"You saw Daniel again?" Stacey asked, surprised. "I thought this whole ascended thing meant he couldn't interfere?"

"Act as his CO for 5 years and see how far _you _get trying to make him obey orders." Jack grumbled quietly with a wry grin. "That Oma didn't know what she was in for."

"Right, well the short story is that this is our best lead yet." Sam tried to retake control of the situation. "It's not going to be easy to synthesise a large amount of hormones quickly but it's the only chance we've got."

"So you think it's the hormone levels?" Stacey asked, still unsure. "I was kinda thinking of the amniotic fluid – my cousin said something about being a powerful boost to the immune system… to protect the foetus?"

Sam nodded quietly as a small wave of dizziness threatened to overtake her again. Jack was by her side in an instant, supporting her so she could lean on him as she spoke. "In all truth, I can't have been pregnant long – I don't think there'd _be _a lot of amniotic fluid yet." She grinned slightly as she remembered again that she was actually pregnant. The jolt of excitement perked her up and managed to dissipate the dizziness and nausea. She stood up on her own again, lightly patting Jack's arm in thanks. "Besides, if it was an issue of immune-system boosting, then the naquada in my blood should have taken care of the Gas, or at least delayed the onset of the symptoms."

Stacey nodded quietly, suddenly realising the potential difficulty of their task. She didn't say anything, but just looked at Sam, her eyes showing the uncertainty and fear she felt. She had been literally thrown into the deep end upon meeting SG1 in Australia about 6 months beforehand. Although she would never have thought it possible to find herself in a more dangerous situation, at that exact moment she felt as if she were at the bottom of the deepest chasm in the deepest ocean.

"Ok Carter." Jack broke the silence, reverting to calling Sam by her surname due to the familiarity of being in mortal danger with the weight of the world on their shoulders. "What's the plan – and don't go telling me you haven't got one," he scolded her, wagging his finger ahead of time. "No matter how much you think it's not going to work – _I_ know it will."

* * *

"The tall female, Colonel Carter," the Gas through Janet was saying to the man appeared to be General Hammond, "she is the one to have betrayed the iron-clad rule against procreation." 

"And the others?" The hissing quality in the General's voice added to the coldness of the tone; both clues to the fact that it was not in fact the man who spoke.

"They are not the same." Janet said simply. "Their genetic structure is… _different_." Part of the colony inside her had wanted to say 'advanced', but could not bring itself to do so. It was hard enough to hide the sentiment from the entire swarm – it was only one of the feelings her colony was pained to hide from them. Such individuality could prove fatal; the moment would have to be right.

"Irrelevant!" The General hissed, anger crossing his features. "They will not last long enough to realise their difference." He stood up and started pacing behind the desk. "Above all, the resistants must not realise the significance of Colonel Carter's pregnancy."

"Although it's unlikely that will occur," the colony in Janet was scheming against him as it spoke to the general, "they are capable and were performing medical tests before the complete infiltration of other hosts on the base."

"Then we need to get through the barricades to them." General Hammond wheezed. "There were reports of isolation doors activating near the escape shafts on certain levels. Their movements are not discreet and they've provided us with a way to find them." His eyes gleamed through the watery hue. "They will not have the time to do anything before we have neutralised them for good."

As he sat back down in the chair to read absorb some more information about their new world, the buzzing message went out to the rest of the colony. Personnel began streaming in an organised fashion towards the promise of complete victory.

* * *

Sam was perched on a stool next to Stacey, trying to decide what exactly to do with the rest of blood sample they'd taken. Despite all her general knowledge, that didn't actually extend to the techniques required to do everything Janet always managed so effortlessly. 

"Well, I think we could propagate a hormone using a cell culture," Stacey was saying, scrunching her face up as she tried to remember all that Janet had told her. "But we'd need the bacterial vectors and, oh no it's mammalian cell cultures we'd need…" she sifted through the recently gained knowledge in her head, hoping she had the terminology right. Janet had showed her examples of what she was talking about but it was going to be difficult to know if she was doing the right thing. "But above all," here Stacey looked around to Jack apologetically before appealing to Sam for help. "I don't know _what_ exactly we need to make – we need to know _which_ hormone."

Sam thought about this for a second. Her mind had been trying to make a connection but she couldn't force it – she was so tired and drawn out with everything that had happened. With what Stacey had said, however, something had begun moving towards clicking.

"Hang on," her face lit up as it all suddenly made sense. "We _know_ which hormone it is."

"Of course we do!" Jack exclaimed from his position on the other side of the room, leaning against the gurney holding the still unconscious Teal'c. The two women looked around to him, curiosity adorning Stacey face and a look of amused expectation characterising Sam. "Just contributing to the brainstorm…" he said meekly, shutting his mouth to let Sam continue.

"Well, you're right – we _do_ know." Sam said with a giggle, before turning back to Stacey with an explanation. "The pregnancy test you used," She said, as if that explained everything. "Pregnancy tests look for a particular hormone – human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. The levels are elevated by at least 200; it's one of the most immediate and enduring physiological signs!"

"But I thought that hCG was always present…" Stacey was sceptical. "its level just rose in pregnancy."

"That's true," Sam nodded. "hCG is actually a combination of two hormones – lutenising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, or LH and FSH. In both men and women, they exist independently, with a small proportion forming the hCG complex; but in pregnant women the proportion forming the complex rises to almost a hundred percent…"

"Carter," Jack's voice wasn't impatient or angry, but instead had the tone of defeat. "You know I don't understand the first thing of what you just said – just tell me you know what to do to try and kill the Gas!"

"Well, we know what we need to do…" Stacey said quickly, "the only problem is, I don't know if we can do it here…"

"You're forgetting we're in the biotech lab." Sam said, moving towards the edge of the space where a line of fridges were built into the wall. "Biotechnology means anything based on biological systems – such as those mammalian cells you were talking about."

"But do we have enough time?" Stacey wasn't ready to accept that luck might have fallen their way like this. "It can take weeks to engineer hormones, they're so complicated."

"Oh I'm sure Carter's got an answer for that." Jack's eyes were squarely on Sam's back as she worked busily, retrieving things from the various cabinets and fridges a couple of feet away.

"We should have…" Sam was talking to herself as she leant all the way into a particularly large cupboard, looking through the plethora of medico-chemical compounds. "A-HA!" She exclaimed suddenly, pulling back from the cupboard and turning around to beam at the other two, a couple of vials held triumphantly in her hands.

"See?" Jack said to Stacey.

"We actually _have_ some hCG in the lab?" Stacey asked with amazement.

"Not _exactly_." Sam said, studying the vials she had brought out of the cupboard. "But we've got LH and FSH… if we can culture them correctly they should form hCG and then we can propagate _that_."

"And then what?" something suddenly occurred to Jack and he stood up, raising his hand into the air to point out how they were somewhat trapped. "How are we going to get it out to everyone infected?" He paused as something else – something that to his mind was a LOT more worrisome – occurred to him. "What's going to happen to the _men_!"

Sam froze for a moment and looked to Jack in confusion. She had an small idea about diffusion of the hormone, but his comment about men confused her. Realising what he was getting at, she suddenly started laughing.

"It's _not_ funny!" Jack whined. "You're talking about subjecting the men of this base with a whole lotta _girl_ hormones."

"Jack, men have these hormones as well – just in lower levels." Sam explained to him. "hCG is even sometimes for men to boost their fertility cos it's a _gonadotropin_… it stimulates the spermatazoa."

"So it won't do anything to their…"

"No." Sam said firmly. "Apart from the small possibility some initial, unimportant, side-effects, they'll still be as _manly_ as before."

"What side effects?" Jack looked at Sam sideways, wary of the way she'd phrased it.

Sam didn't answer immediately, but looked to Stacey with an impish grin on her face to see if the Aussie knew what she was talking about. By the look of the huge grin on Stacey's face, it appeared that both women were in on the secret. Jack looked from one to the other, getting decidedly worried by their silence and apparent secret joke.

"_Well_?" He demanded.

"Let's just say sir," Stacey said with a waver in her voice as she tried not to laugh. "There's a small possibility some of the airman might need to invest in some, ah, _lingerie_."

"WHAT?" Jack said, his mouth wide open, now also fighting the urge to laugh in the full knowledge that he thankfully wouldn't be required to take the treatment.

"You said it yourself." Sam's eyes twinkled as she looked at Jack. "it's essentially a female hormone, although it naturally exists in small levels in men as well. Injecting a large dose could possibly induce some temporary, uh, _reinforcement_ of the breast tissue – even in men."

"I've _so_ got to make sure we've got a camera when we do this." Jack said to himself, grinning from ear to ear.

Just as Sam was going to admonish him and remind him that he'd hardly appreciate it if people document how he looked should he ever happen to develop breasts, a rasping cough alerted them to the fact that Teal'c was again conscious.

Instantly Jack was by his side and Sam and Stacey were only a step behind him.

"Hey T." Jack said quietly. "You just gotta hang in there – the dynamic duo here have got a plan… we'll have that gas outta there in no time."

"Not… fast… enough." Teal'c managed to say through his laboured breathing.

Outside the lab, in the corridor, Jack, Sam and Stacey heard some ominous noises that confirmed what Teal'c had just said. It seemed the Gas had decided to be proactive and was trying with renewed force to get through to them.

"Janet." Teal'c said weakly. "Janet."

"She's gone, T," Jack said sadly, motioning for Stacey to get started with the hormones and for Sam to retrieve their weapons so they could try to hold off the attack.

"No… O'Neill." Teal'c expended almost all his force to shake his head. "Janet will help – she is not like the others… she has a weakness… her colony aspires to _individuality_."

With that Teal'c succumbed to the inky clouds of sleep that had seemed to be whirling around his brain, but Jack understood what he'd said and was fast forming a plan in his head.

"Ok." He took the weapon Sam was holding out to him as they approached the door. "We've gotta get to Janet before the rest of these wannabe Borg bust in on us."

To be continued…

* * *

_A/N: I forgot to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews at the top. They really make my day when I'm at work and I check my email!_

_I really struggled with the last scene of this chap. It just didn't want to be written, so I hope it turned out ok. _

_Please review and give me your two cents-worth, we're up for some action in the next chap I think… Just remember that I've already admitted my science is dodgy… _


	11. Who to trust?

_A/N: Ok, I know it's been ages. I'm not even sure I remember what happens in this fic any more, but most of what I'm posting today, I wrote a while ago. This is a shorter chap, basically cos I have to familiarise myself with the story again. _

_I hope it can ease you guys back into it… I've got some ideas of how to go from here, but no time to write for the moment. I've been in an interesting place the last little while – I got myself a great boyfriend, but then he dumped me a couple of months later leaving me distraught (to say the least)… if you have seen my fic 'All Alone', then you'll know all about it. _

_On a lighter note, I'm going on holidays tomorrow – time in the sun and the surf'll do me good! It's about bloody time too because it's winter down here and fricking FREEZING!_

_Anyhoo… time to get this chap out. Hope it can whet your appetite!_

**Chapter 11 – Who to trust?**

* * *

The Gas congregated anew around the blast door that stood between them and the biotech lab, waiting for the full contingent of their brethren to arrive in assistance. The message had spread throughout the swarm's consciousness without delay and to every colony it was known that attack on the resisters was possible from two angles: through the large door that had been shut off to them during the chase, but also now through a secondary means via an emergency shaft and an irresponsibly-open blast door.

All they were waiting for now was the final word that the other half of their number had infiltrated via the shaft. Once that was confirmed, they would break down the blast door once and for all with the explosives supplied by some of the more able-bodied hosts' knowledge. One colony, however, was fighting hard to harbour another plan. One colony was a well respected part of the swarm, and was currently at the head of the party advancing towards the emergency shaft.

* * *

The short but ever agile form that had previously been Dr Janet Fraser was clipping along the corridor with impressive grace and speed. It was well known throughout the swarm that she inhabited the most useful host on the base through the knowledge and insight into humans; physically, mentally, and above all emotionally. Her shared information had helped in the formation of the plans for when they reached the surface, and her expertise had afforded her the place of secondary leader next to the man who would be recognised by the obtuse humans as an authority figure. It was Janet and General Hammond who, according to the plan, would make first contact and begin the great new age for the Gas.

The plans Janet's colony had been making so sure to keep hidden from the others, however, were not entirely identical to the general consensus among her brethren. What Janet knew about the medical technology of these particular hosts had instantly warned her of the peril her fellow colonies could easily find themselves in. Those inhabiting scientists and others didn't even grasp the concept as she had done. These people were unlike the last group of hosts. These people, apart from their sheer obstinancy, actually had a _chance_ of defeating the Gas before they could properly take hold. The three remaining resistant ones weren't even the main threat. Whether they succeeded in surviving wouldn't ultimately make a difference. The difference would instead lie in the fact that on the surface, and Janet knew this well, was an enormous population full of hosts just as capable as hers. A population whereby a small but significant minority had an advanced genetic structure that would render them impervious to the Gas. The stupid humans didn't even seem to know it yet – but necessity would breed invention, and invention would spell the end of the Gas… again.

The Gas within Janet knew that its kind was finished unless it escaped elsewhere, away from the threats. Only Janet's colony understood and the very fact that it understood filled it with confidence; it was _better_ than the rest of the swarm, _smarter_ than the rest of the swarm. Most importantly, however; it was _different_ from the rest of the swarm. It would be _individual_ and that singularity would enable it to triumph where countless times before the Gas had come mere millimetres from annihilation.

"There could be a trap." She said curtly to the 15 or so people following her towards the opening to the shaft. "These humans are not without cunning – I would not expect them to leave an entrance point unguarded." She hissed softly as most of the hosts with her moved forward, without heeding her words. "I will go alone first. You will know when it is right to follow."

"But you should not be alone." The words slid of Jonas' tongue in a single rasping wheeze. The entire swarm, through his eyes, looked at Janet carefully. Her host had undoubtedly provided them with indispensable information, but it didn't appear that the colony yet had full control. Although it could contribute to the swarm, others were incapable of penetrating into the host's consciousness and sharing in the reward of the knowledge gained; they were reliant on her provision of such information. "The woman's defences still block our attempts…"

"And yet she is of the most relevant physical size to be able to continue along this path." Janet's colony snapped, the shimmering quality in her eyes glistening under the fluorescent lights of the base. "I am the swarm; _we_ are the swarm. Other colonies may follow once they have received the signal." Before waiting for a response, she disappeared into the wall, closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Jack!" Sam hissed as she quickly followed the said man down the corridor towards the emergency shaft.

He didn't stop running until crouched next to the hatch, which was open ajar. He hadn't responded to Sam, but now looked at her.

"Jack what on Earth are we going to do?" Sam whispered urgently. "We don't even know what's going to come up through this hatch!"

"If what Tea'lc said is going to be important," Jack replied with equal efficiency, "then we should see Janet – or whoever is controlling Janet."

Sam rolled her eyes briefly, not believing what she was hearing. "We don't _know_ that!" She exclaimed, her voice squeaking slightly. "We have no _idea_ if it's actually Teal'c talking… or what could be happening with Janet."

"Well what d'you want me to do?" Jack appealed right back at her. "It's either we trust in the only small hope we're going to have of buying enough time for Hindmarsh to create enough breast-hormone, or we go down fighting anyway!" As he spoke the increasingly persistent noises behind the blast door at the other end of the hall proved his point. "See? It won't be long before they've broken through and we're not enough people to keep them at bay!"

It wasn't often that Sam second-guessed Jack's intuition, and she knew in her heart that it wasn't possible for them to merely sit around and wait for the Gas to get to them. It just seemed to her that they were proceeding with no plan whatsoever and very little chance of succeeding. As they both waited, their breath short and halting with the adrenalin of anticipation and fear running through them, it occurred to Sam that it was her outlook on what they were doing, and not the lack of a plan, that had caused the point of conflict.

She was scared. Of course she was scared, but now she wasn't only scared for herself and the people around her. Now she was scared for her future, for _their _future. Jack and her; the baby… a chance for a life. She bit her lip slightly as she realised how selfish she was being. No wonder she and Jack could no longer safely serve on the same SG1, if she was going to act like this. The fate of the planet in her hands and she wanted to hide somewhere where no harm could possibly come to her little family.

She looked into Jack's eyes and was both relieved and surprised to see the exact same look of fear within them. How he had managed to act like he was she didn't know. His resolve was steeled even when he knew exactly how much was on the line. She'd always prided herself in her strength. She didn't doubt that strength now, and she didn't doubt her ability to do the right thing if she had to decide in a split second. The weight of concern associated with her new-found happiness, however, had come crashing down on her with such force that it was a shock.

Yes, she was scared – petrified even. But as she locked eyes with Jack, as slowly they began to discern the sound of someone climbing the ladder in the shaft, she realised that no matter how scared she was, the simple knowledge of her strength was enough to push her forward, to stop her from hiding in a corner and waiting for the end. The key to their salvation lay in their actions; and staying still was not an option.

* * *

Janet wasn't given the chance to say or do anything upon exiting the escape. The minute her arm had snaked out of the hole in the wall she was yanked out at thrown against the said wall by both Jack and Sam. Despite her increased strength, the factor of surprise meant that she could do nothing to prevent the manhandling at the humans' hands.

Instantly she opened a small portion of her consciousness so the Gas could see that indeed, it was a trap. She transmitted the message that they should stand-by until further notice before effectively closing her consciousness to the swarm's overbearing prying… it was time to put her plan into action.

"We are not what you think!" She hissed quickly, her eyes almost spitting with the watery hue that demonstrated the presence of the Gas.

"We'll just see about that," Jack said through gritted his teeth while adeptly fastening Janet's hands behind her back, hauling her off the wall and leading her into one of the adjoining rooms.

Sam followed closely, her weapon trained steadily on Janet. In truth, she knew that if the Gas had wanted to harm them, they wouldn't have stood a chance. They'd already seen the unwavering strength the infection managed to imbue even the smallest of human bodies. Although the Gas in Janet probably didn't want to help them exactly – there was something different; something that could help ensure their survival.

Jack had now forced Janet to the ground in a corner of one of the storage rooms that serviced the labs on the level. He and Sam were standing back, weapons pointed at her, waiting somewhat impatiently.

"Well?" Jack snarled. "Speak if you want to live."

"You would not kill your beloved Doc." Janet's voice sneered with an eerie chill to it. "We realise only so well how you humans cling to all hope and to all their _emotional_ linkages." She spat the words out, disgusted. "Besides, I could have the rest of the swarm here before you even moved two paces towards me."

"So why don't you?" Sam asked harshly, surprised by the conviction in her voice.

Janet's form paused from its sneering and glaring to look at Sam in a somewhat different light. There was an extra edge to this woman that surprised her – even despite her knowledge of Sam gained through her host.

"The changes in your physiological structure bring new strength," she said, nodding at Sam to show how impressed she was. "I can there are other reasons why procreation is should cause so feared a condition as pregnancy. You have become strong."

"HEY!" Jack roughly pushed Janet up against the wall again, impressed that he had caught her off-guard and was therefore able to do so. "She was _always_ strong and will only become stronger as we move forward – no matter what her _condition_ is."

"Jack." Sam didn't add any emotion to what she said or even waver her glare from the Gas/Janet. The single word was enough to pull Jack back, however, so they were both again standing a couple of feet from their enemy, guns poised. If anything, Sam's eyes narrowed and her glare became more pronounced. "Well?" she spoke to the Gas again, "either speak or order in the cronies. We're waiting!"

* * *

_A/N: I'll be honest – the reason the chap is so short is because I don't quite know how to get to where this is meant to be going. I know where the story is going – I just need to figure out _how_! But never fear – I'll figure it out! If you've got any ideas, I'm sure they'll be welcome!_


	12. Individual thinking

_A/N: I'm going to just have to stop apologising for waiting so long between posts. I honestly haven't had time for pretty much anything in the last couple of months. When I get really busy at work I get into this kind of 'manic' state and can't sit still long enough to read anything, let alone write fanfic! Also, for a while there I hadn't seen any Stargate because it wasn't on TV. We're now halfway through the 9th season in Australia and although it's not the show it once was, it's still my drug of choice!_

_So here's the next chap in 'Alter Ego'… in case you've forgotten, Sam and Jack have just ambushed a gas-infected Janet who 'strives to individuality' and could hold the key to their survival and victory over the Swarm!_

**Chapter 12 – Individual thinking**

**-----------------------------------------------------**

"We will have to speak quickly," Janet hissed urgently. "There is little time before either we must give a signal to the swarm, return or my brethren will know that we are not as we seem."

"Well what are you then?" Jack snapped back, his weapon steadily pointed at Janet's diminutive frame. "_Seemingly _or otherwise?"

"You know that you are not like the others," Janet continued without paying heed to Jack's interruption. "The threat you pose should serve as a warning to the swarm but most do not see it."

"We know." Sam butted in. "We've got it covered - soon enough the same hormones that killed the gas in me will be coursing through the veins of every person in this base."

Janet shook her head quickly. "The key threat to my kind lies in fact in your beloved. He is not the only one who is resistant.

Jack rolled his eyes. This was nothing new. He swallowed his impatience, however, and listened.

"You represent part of a significant minority who have advanced beyond the average genetic composition." Janet had turned her attention to Jack. "Our brethren do not adequately understand – they do not understand that on the surface there are enough people capable of resistance to render their infiltration doomed from the start."

"And you do?" Sam asked warily, unsure of where this was going. She was, however, conscious of the time ticking away as they were talking. "If you are so perceptive then why are you talking to us?"

"You have studied our records," Janet persevered. "You know we were on the edge of complete annihilation and then extinction." She paused long enough to confirm that Sam in fact _did_ know what she was talking about. "I do not wish this to happen again."

"Well sorry to find a point of disagreement so early in these, uh, _negotiations_," Jack growled dangerously, gripping his weapon a little more tightly, "but I for one wouldn't be losing any sleep if you were _actually_ annihilated and made extinct."

"But if you wish to live long enough you see your offspring brought into this world," Janet's voice suddenly descended into a primal-sounding growl, "you will listen what we have to say – _we_ are not like the rest of the swarm."

"Individuality…" Sam said quietly, glancing quickly at Jack. "You think you're different, you don't want to be part of the larger swarm… Teal'c was right."

Janet's eyes shimmered with more intensity at the sound of Teal'c's name. "The enemy vessel has proved to be a stronger-than-anticipated foe for us." Her mouth formed a thin line, and then the smallest of curls indicated a smile. "Usually those of his kind – with an incubation pouch - are easily neutralised."

"Yeah well he's tougher than most." Jack said triumphantly.

"Yes. But it is no matter." Janet said, tossing her hair with a confident ease. "Although the swarm seeks his destruction, _we_ do not feel the same. In fact, he has been most useful in keeping me appraised of your progress – once I convinced him of my intentions, of course."

"And what do _we_ feel?" Jack asked with more than a hint of irony. The way the gas in Janet was talking, it was as if she were some weird aristocratic matriarch dictating society protocols.

"We wish only to survive – and we do not think that will occur unless we leave this planet."

"Well!" Jack said, more brightly than before, "it is _such_ a relief to finally meet an alien parasitic invasion force that decides to leave of its own free will!"

"My host's memories seem to indicate he is always like this," Janet said in an irritated voice, turning to Sam. "I do not know how you manage."

Sam quickly pushed the desire to grin at Janet and forced herself to remember the true nature of the alien gas they were in fact dealing with – not to mention the veritable army of compromised SGC members not far from their position, poised to attack and well capable of overrunning them all.

"Why are you talking to us?" Sam asked, suspicious of Janet's true motives. "If you wanted to go elsewhere you could just go through the gate and repopulate somewhere else while the swarm fights its battles on the surface – not that we would let it get that far."

"No… I think you're giving the gas too much credit." Jack's eyes narrowed as his honed military mind went to work. "They don't want to just separate from the swarm in order to survive – they consider themselves _better_ than the swarm and want to wipe them out too, right?"

"They are weak." Janet's voice hissed with anger. "It was their folly that almost led to our permanent demise all that time ago – and it is their folly now that threatens to lead us all again to extinction!"

"You want revenge." Sam said quietly, realizing what Jack had been talking about. "You don't just want to survive – you want to be the _only_ aspect of the swarm that survives."

Janet began to nod before her head suddenly snapped upwards slightly, her attention grabbed by something else. Her facial expression suddenly darkened and she seemed to be concentrating intently. Sensing danger, Jack backed up towards the door and looked through the small reinforced window to see Stacey's face popping into his field of vision. He waved her away quickly.

"It's just Stacey." He said quietly to Sam.

"For now," Janet said quickly, "but I have isolated my link from the general swarm for too long already. It will not be long before they come."

"We need more time," Sam said quickly, "We have a way to synthesize enough HcG for everyone in the base – but we need time for this to happen."

"You will not get enough time," Janet said simply, "this is why I have come."

"Either that or you're afraid of getting wiped out by the hormone thingy as well." Jack said cynically.

"I would not be here if I did not want to survive," Janet said coldly, "I do not hide that fact."

"So if we're not going to have time, how are we going to neutralize the rest of the gas?" Sam asked. "I assume if you have somehow been kept in the loop by Teal'c you're aware of the science involved?"

"More than you, Colonel Carter," Janet nodded, sensing that finally the humans were beginning to trust her. "Remember my host is your beloved doctor – I believe I know of a way for you to create the means with which to neutralize the gas in time."

-------------------------------------------------------

Stacey had hovered nervously in the corridor only briefly before she saw Colonel O'Neill's signal that everything was fine for the moment. She was acutely aware of the time that was passing. Almost twenty minutes had passed since Sam and Jack had gone to intercept Janet and it couldn't be long now until the rest of the swarm headed in their direction.

She returned to the lab and continued her work, praying that they would have the time they needed. The sheer enormity of the task, however, seemed too much for her. Again she thought how her life had changed in the past year. She had been intensely proud of her ability to step up to the plate and deal with all the new challenges posed. Not for the first time, however, she found herself afraid that this time her innate intelligence and cunning wasn't going to be enough.

A strange draught through the small room made her skin prickle as she bent over the microscope and Stacey froze. No one had entered the room, and from the corner of her eye she could see Teal'c still lay unconscious in the corner. Nonetheless, she was sure that someone was now standing behind her.

"I'm not a danger to you." The smooth, soft, male voice spoke soothingly. "I am unarmed and I only wish to help."

Stacey turned around to see a man of average height, dressed in white, with light brown hair, looking directly at her. There seemed to be a slight glow emanating from around him and Stacey found herself instantly at ease.

"You're a valuable addition to the SGC, Stacey," Daniel said warmly, confident that the young Australian was switched-on enough not to panic. "Jack will be lucky to have you in his team."

"Daniel." Stacey more breathed the word than say it. Her mind was reeling at the fact that she was face-to-face with an _ascended being_ – whatever that meant.

"I don't have a lot of time." Daniel said, smiling apologetically. "You need to stop doing what you're doing now and instead find the medication in the cold store labeled _4ZX009_. It's in liquid vial form – 10 vials of 1ml each. You need to put them through first the sonicator, and then the centrifuge – now. You're going to need them."

Stacey wanted so badly to trust the man in front of her, but her instincts wouldn't let her blindly abandon what she had thought was the only way for salvation against the Gas. Apart from anything else, her rough knowledge of science was telling her his instructions didn't make sense. A sonicator was a small water tub used to pass sound waves through samples in order to properly dissolve sedimentary particles. A centrifuge did pretty much the opposite – spinning samples around so fast that the sedimentary particles separated out from a liquid solution.

"I know this sounds odd," Daniel remained where he was, and kept his voice steady, so as not to appear threatening in any way. "But you won't have enough time unless you get started now. Sam is going to come back with Janet and ask you to do exactly the same thing – you need to have already started to make sure the gas doesn't infiltrate this part of the base before you're done – and to make sure you have a contingency plan."

Stacey had no idea what he was talking about in terms of contingencies, and only a vague idea otherwise. "Why don't you just help us – if you're so powerful?" She asked warily, still not making any sudden movements, part frozen on the spot, part unsure of the situation. "If you're really ascended or whatever, why not just use some of that mojo to suck the gas out of people and off into space or something?"

Daniel just smiled in response. "I'm sorry, but now I know you're _definitely_ going to get on with Jack," he said good-humouredly. "He'll explain it to you – I've already done too much."

Stacey turned to get to work, making an instant decision to trust the man she had never met and still wasn't sure was actually real, nodding quickly.

"One more thing," Daniel said urgently, his voice lower as he moved closer to Stacey. "Leave one sample – _only one_ – un-sonicated before you put it in the centrifuge and make sure you know which one it is. Do that one first. It will become apparent why."

Stacey whirled around to tell Daniel just exactly how ridiculous she thought he was being and how it was beyond stupid to be taking instructions from some ghost who was apparently too _superior_ to actually help humankind fight against various manifestations of evil.

In the split second it took her to turn, however, he had gone and the door to the Biotech lab was opening to reveal Sam and Jack leading a petulant-looking Janet into the room, a newly hopeful gleam in Sam's eyes.

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The swarm bounced impatiently through the various host colonies surrounding the isolated area of the incompatible threat. The colony inside Dr Fraser had been cut off from the remainder following her ambush by the procreators. Such an occurrence was not unusual, but it was of great concern that the Gas had yet to re-connect and ascertain what was happening.

Suspicions had been circulating in the swarm of that particular colony's penchant for isolation; it was verging on _individuality_. From their comfortable position in the briefing room, the colony within General Hammond was growing increasingly impatient. They knew of the necessity to ensure the neutralization of the incompatible threat, but it was time and enough that the swarm broke from the confines of the military base to reach the 6 billion available incubatory hosts on the surface. The molecules of gas almost bubbled with the anticipatory excitement of this progression in this latest of dynasties for the swarm. Never before had they had such a rich source of hosts at their disposal. The concept of 6 billion vessels for proliferation, not to speak of the countless others throughout the galaxy now that the snake-god was in decline – or so the Earth records seemed to indicate – was too much for the swarm to sit and wait to hear of the fate of three incompatibles and a snake-slave who had effectively been neutralized in any case.

The gas tried once more to connect to the doctor's colony but decided the colony must have been compromised. Whether fallen into enemy hands, killed, or – worse – _individual_, Dr Fraser was from henceforth to be considered one of the incompatibles.

The order went out. The time was right to neutralize the one, annoying, buzzing, _insect_ of an obstacle between the gas and rapid revival. Within a matter of minutes, the situation would be ripe for worldwide infiltration.

To be continued…

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_A/N: Once again, I'm going to try and promise not to wait too long before updating again – for one I hope you don't all forget the bloody plot in between chapters! I'm really excited about what's happening next tho! Have I confused you all enough with the science talk?_

_Please tell me if you think I'm missing something in the plot. I read the whole fic again last night just to make sure I had everything covered, and I do have a story sketched out… but I dunno sometimes. _


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